Round Up: Our Favorite Banksy Work

The pseudonymous Banksy is synonymous with street art. We recently rediscovered Banksy’s 2006 book, Wall and Piece. In a world that seems to promote near-constant visibility, he reminds us that “invisibility is still a superpower”.

LA, 2010

Banksy’s most recent pieces have been popping up all over Los Angeles with the premier of his new film. We love his nod to Koons’ balloon dog, above.

Village Pet Shop & Charcoal Grill, 2008

A departure from his traditional work, Banksy began experimenting with robotics for his first show in New York City. The Village Pet Shop & Charcoal Grill opened to the public as a pop-up “shop” in 2008. Devoid of graffiti or paintings, the show featured bizarre interpretations of household pets, from swimming fish sticks to security cameras nurturing their imaginary young. In the words of Banksy, “I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing.”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005

In an ongoing effort to explore the boundaries of public art, Banksy installed modified canvases of his own work in museums around the world. At the Met, his piece hung for two hours before being removed. At other museums, some work lasted as long as three weeks. “I thought some of [the paintings] were quite good. That’s why I thought, you know, put them in a gallery. Otherwise, they would just sit at home and no one would see them.”

Israel, 2005 & 2007

Banksy created nine paintings on the Palestinian side of Israel’s controversial West Bank barrier in 2005 and again in 2007. Our favorite, above, depicts children digging a hole to paradise. Banksy describes the wall as the “ultimate activity holiday destination for graffiti artists.”

Needless to say, we’re excited to see Exit Through The Gift Shop, Banksy’s new street art manifesto-slash-documentary tracking his practices and pranks.