Contemporary Artist: Bak Le Rat & Banksy - street Art or vandalism?

Many have heard of Banksy, the undercover British graffiti artist hunted down not only by British police, reporters (seeking for a real name) but also auction houses and collectors willing to pay millions for a piece of "artwork".

Banksy's art (which are mostly stencils, but vary in other mediums as well) are found (indoors and outdoors) around many cities in the world, put up secretively on public property such as walls, houses, phoneboxes, zoos... His artworks are often satirical messages on the the topics of politics, culture and ethics.


This picture of children playing and dreams of a more relaxed place was painted on the wall seperating Israel and Palestine.

Of course, one can not mention Banksy without mentioning his largest inspiration, French artist Blek le Rat, the father of socially conscious stenciled "guerrila art".


This 1983 life-size stencil on the streets of Paris depict an old Irish man yelling against English soliders in Belfast in the seventies.

The philosophy behind many of Bak le Rat and Banksy's work can be summed up through Le Rat's own quote: "Conceptual art is designed for those who understand philosophy and the history of art, so it will always be exclusive. What we are doing is breaking down the walls. This movement is my life, and you are never too old to follow your passion." Bearing that same philosophy, in 2004, Banksy walked into the Louvre in Paris and hung on a wall a picture he had painted resembling the Mona Lisa but with a yellow smiley face.

Of course, there is no lack of controversy surrounding whether these street pieces are Art, or vandalism? Returning to the picture painted on the West Bank Wall, a local citizen living opposite to that piece of wall, and whom Bansky was probaby trying to inspire or something, tells him: "What are you doing here? We don't want you here. We don't want that wall here. Go home". Also, Banksy was obviously painting caucasion kids in that picture. Is that really culturally sensitive?