Banksy Does New York

Banksy really did DO New York CIty, commanding the attention of throngs of fans who directed their entire lives toward finding his daily pop-up piece throughout the month of October 2013. This is one of the better films about Banksy because it manages to capture the many contradictions that the street artist represents and how he has transformed himself into some sort of messiah in the eyes of his followers. It is impossible to say what he is really doing, and whether, if ever, his seemingly clearly stated manifestos about art are meant by him to be taken seriously.

The undeniable truth about Banksy is that he has proven himself to be powerful by commanding the sympathies of so many people and causing them to march in lockstep and salute at his every move. Pretty impressive, especially given that these people have no idea how they have been seduced by him to rush to his defense when others try to deface his works or take them down to sell.

The idea that graffiti artists have a right to deface buildings and leave their marks wherever they wish to do so--whatever message they wish to convey--simply because they claim to be ARTISTS, is uncritically assumed to be true by nearly everyone who gushes over Banksy. But if one thinks of the building on which he leaves a message as already containing a message (perhaps one of simplicity, in the case of a blank slate) which he destroys by tagging with his name and his latest quip (usually a gag of some sort), then one could argue that anyone who defends Banksy should, in consistency, defend the integrity of the person who first designed the building to look as it did, before he essentially urinated on it.

What all of this demonstrates is that Western people have developed a somewhat contradictory view of art and artists. We like art when we agree with the artist. When we disagree, then we either deny that what he produces is art, or we say that it is bad. If Banksy left a bunch of politically incorrect, anti-liberal, far-right graffiti, no one would like him, and everyone would rush to suppress his speech. But he seems to convey a liberal, antiwar, pro- little people message, even as what he does ends up corrupting some of the adulators whom he pretends to want to save--the ones who decide to jump on the gravy train and abscond with his work with the intention of selling it to the highest bidder. Banksy might retort that it is the art world which has caused these people to act in such a way, but he seems to know what he is doing and is indeed (as maligned and despised gallery owner Stephan Keszler correctly observes) quite effectively building and protecting his brand.

A good documentary tries to uncover and show more than one side. So you have people here who don't agree with what Banksy is or was doing. The documentary leaves the interpretation of what is being said to the viewer. A very clever thing to do. Do you agree with the nay sayers or do you think Banksy is amazing/great and has something to say? Maybe it does lean a bit to the latter, but again it is refreshing to see they included other voices too.

I would agree that Banksy does good social commentary. Now whether Banksy is a he or she or even a group of people, we still don't know. And the documentary will not enlighten you in that respect. If this wet your appetite though, I can recommend "Through the gift shop" ... a different kind of "documentary" also with Banksy ... well sort of. Way more funny than this one for sure, but both work for what they are

While it's not in the same graffiti clad ballpark of the fantastic Banksy starring and directed doco Exit Through the Gift Shop, the HBO produced Banksy Does New York is a fun, to the point and most importantly insightful look at the time the illusive artist took over New York for one whole month and for fans of the street artist, this will be a must own as the quintessential documentation of the artistic event.

Banksy Does New York does a great job at showcasing just how big of a deal this event was in 2013 and it does this by utilising not only talking heads who were apart of the "scavenger hunt" at the time but also footage shot by those on the ground level, news broadcasts and of course great use of audio snippets taken directly from Banksy's official web presence's that allow slight insights into what the works he produced meant, from the menial through to the political and even for those that think Banksy is nothing more than a glorified street artist, there's little point denying that his work is constantly engaging and often bitingly satirical.

While there was work done within the month of Banksy's New York residency that isn't overly memorable, there were certainly some stand out works that Banksy Does New York shows off and interestingly follows up in ways that shine a whole new light on the works of the mysterious figure.

Fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions at auctions around the world, the works of Banksy have become highly sought after pieces and it's hilarious and also shocking to watch as people either clamber to deface his street works or take them for their own gains. It's an eyebrow raising trend of modern day humans that will see them quickly turn feral for the thought of $$$ and it therefore makes Banksy's pieces more than meets the eye.

Banksy Does New York never tries to preach or convert anyone to anything (a nice change from most modern day doco's) and merely exists to show an unbiased documentation of a time in New York City where the greatest ever art focused scavenger hunt took place, a ride we can feel a part of thanks to this film.

3 quick thinking mechanics out of 5

We watched this last night and it was pretty good, not great but if you are into this sort of thing, a good watch. Shows the greed people have for money. Also makes me wonder why modern stuff like this is destroyed yet cave drawings are saved as valuable or fenced off and charged admission to see. It's an interesting documentary for sure.

Ten astronomical furnaces in the sky as a reward for Banksy's thoughts and how they are expressed, and also to the creators of the doc for tenaciously following the leads searching for each day's presentation (in NY traffic no less) and then adding a range of pov interviews. But, lowered a couple of stars to express disgust with the greed and narrow self-interests of those who took advantage of the attention to enhance themselves by damaging, stealing and selling. Further disgust to the politicians, developers and property/slum owners in deriding the street art as defacing when they are either distant from or profit from those already visually debasing structures. And, where renovations occur they often give most benefit to the distant wealthy and connected.