Banksy - Sell Out?

[paulie-mafia]

Only just found this forum and couldn't find a thread for noobs, but anyway hello! I'm a big fan of stencil art and I used to tag when I was younger but I'm 30 now so I packed it in a good while ago.. B)

My mate just sent me this vid about Banksy - I've been a fan of his since day 1, but I can't help thinking he's sold out a bit now. His stance was always anti-establishment and anti-capitalist, but now his stuff goes for a bomb and he's being exhibited in Knightsbridge FFS! If he hasn't sold out then is this some kind of 'fuck you' cash raid on the wealthy that buy it?

http://snipurl.com/1btwt

[sika_2002]

its a big debate and every1 has views, personally, i dont htink hes a sell out but he doesnt deserve the term 'graffiti artists' or 'writer'. i dont know where your from but over here in england, especially in london the media uses him as everything related to vandalism. sure wht hes doing is a form of vandalism and they are both connected, but you can't call some body who put stickers on a walls a writer. he isnt, i know he used to, but he doesnt any more. so no he isnt a sell out, but he isnt a writer either. my 2 pence.

[revolt92]

You should have polled this but nevermind, in my opinion he's not a sell out, sure he sells his artwork but yet think of all the stuff he does, he stole an elephant for gods sake. He also has kept his identity secret which sureley counts for something, no?

This is just my opinion but i think he isn't.

[sens1]

hes not a sell out. let him make some money. its all good.

[tactix]

i won't deny that it's a touchy subject, but the fact of the matter is that so long as his popularity and his taking advantage of the capitalist system he unfortunately lives in doesn't affect his artwork or his social, political and economic viewpoints, he's not selling out, he's simply surviving in the manner which best suits him.

on the other hand, i suppose you could argue that he should get a day job like the rest of us to ensure that his art stays untainted by greed.

[thesenor]

anyone who can pull off the paris hilton thing and hustle a 100k in a gallery is pretty slick, no matter waht you think

[Mommywonthugme]

Its all good, hes just dont his own thing, down the road if i could make thousands of dollars of my art, why wouldnt I? I mean hes down his fair share of illegal stenciling and still does, but if he wants to sit down and chill for awhile and make some easy money why the fuck not.

[settybomb]

WELL if you ask me, which none of you did,
bansky and most sticker/stencil people do not do GRAFFITI.
ive met or heard of like, 5 stencil kids or sticker people living the actual lifestyle which comes with doing graffiti.
Sure ive seen some stuff of his that i like and shit, but hes just doing his thing, which is some pussy hybrid of street art.
its just science.
but as for selling out,
I will sell out for money. im all about that cream.
but the day that graffiti becomes legal, i will stop writing.
ghetto revival.

[Sumoe]

^^^hahahaha "ghetto revival."

Originally posted by sens1@Mar 5 2007, 02:20 PM
hes not a sell out. let him make some money. its all good.
word, anything to get that paper.

[KevinBase]

how bout this
neckface sellout? with the vans billboards and shit

[slEEt]

Throw ya sign in his face..

[liltaz78]

I don't think he is a sell out. He is like any other writer that got big. He is being known for his art. What writer doesn't want that. I think its good he is making money now i always loved his art. My favorite is the monkey with the sign. Its a classic.

[liltaz78]

Originally posted by Sumoe+Mar 5 2007, 03:35 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Sumoe @ Mar 5 2007, 03:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> ^^^hahahaha "ghetto revival."

<!--QuoteBegin-sens1@Mar 5 2007, 02:20 PM
hes not a sell out. let him make some money. its all good.
word, anything to get that paper. [/b][/quote]
"Ghetto revival"-King of the Burbs LMAO :lol: !

[-ShAmEE-]

he is like the fuckin IPOD...good at what he does but way over rated.
people who dont kno any other artists in graffiti. bum the fuck out of bansky. i like his shit as a artist but some of the politcal shit i dont understand some of his work in the political view. but he is going further like the elephant thingy.

[BIGel]

this is why everybody that writes or is involved with the scene in any way is an asshole, cause every time somebody makes it big they get jealous and throw beef around. banksy has come out with some of the smartest, freshest, most relevent street art around..shit that everybody else could only dream about. he almost single handedly revived stencils when they were dead, and got graffiti good publicity everywhere. he's a legend and legends should be respected.

[WritinG_SPIRIT]

banksy........

he's a slick motha fucka

but shit, i'm a fan of his work for sure... dope street artist...

[Alchohlics_Anonymous]

Originally posted by liltaz78@Mar 5 2007, 03:54 PM
I don't think he is a sell out. He is like any other writer that got big. He is being known for his art. What writer doesn't want that. I think its good he is making money now i always loved his art. My favorite is the monkey with the sign. Its a classic.
I dont know about that, not every writer who got "big" makes mad money off their shit... take Connecticuts own Geser 3A (Theres plenty of other writers just as good, but not quite as known throughout the US) he hasnt "sold out" or done any billboard designs and shit... so not everyone has to sell out to get big, and not every big writer sells out...

But from the whole "Is Banksy a sell out?" standpoint, Id have to say he is in a sense. Not nearly as much as some others though. But I dont consider him a graffiti artist anyways...

[uhhh]

sellout?
nahh.
hes making money,
big deal.
hes dont some really cool innovative stuff.
lots of people make money from graffiti,
hes just making more.

and to those who said stenciling is not graffiti?
thats kinda dumb.
its not whats thought of as graffiti,.
but it is a branch off of it.
nothing stays the same over tiem.
it alwasy developes.

(thats actualy not true,
the first organisms on the earth[3.4 billion years ago] are still alive today unchanged.)
just for those of you who had missed science class today..

[specialsauce]

Originally posted by BIGel@Mar 5 2007, 04:23 PM
this is why everybody that writes or is involved with the scene in any way is an asshole, cause every time somebody makes it big they get jealous and throw beef around. banksy has come out with some of the smartest, freshest, most relevent street art around..shit that everybody else could only dream about. he almost single handedly revived stencils when they were dead, and got graffiti good publicity everywhere. he's a legend and legends should be respected.
graffiti doesnt need good publicity.Good publicity leads to this..
My Webpage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ3rZUB1gtY)
My Webpage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcvXD1wgG5Y)
My Webpage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyeremRt2HI)
my personal favorite (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV9L974MJXQ)

[.A.K.4.7.]

Originally posted by paulie-mafia@Mar 2 2007, 09:53 AM
Only just found this forum and couldn't find a thread for noobs, but anyway hello! I'm a big fan of stencil art and I used to tag when I was younger but I'm 30 now so I packed it in a good while ago.. B)

My mate just sent me this vid about Banksy - I've been a fan of his since day 1, but I can't help thinking he's sold out a bit now. His stance was always anti-establishment and anti-capitalist, but now his stuff goes for a bomb and he's being exhibited in Knightsbridge FFS! If he hasn't sold out then is this some kind of 'fuck you' cash raid on the wealthy that buy it?

http://snipurl.com/1btwt
the guys making his cash money, he's laughin at all yall complaining ass's all the way to the bank.

do you think he cares wat anyone thinks of him?

[.A.K.4.7.]

Originally posted by Alchohlics_Anonymous+Mar 5 2007, 05:00 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Alchohlics_Anonymous @ Mar 5 2007, 05:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-liltaz78@Mar 5 2007, 03:54 PM
I don't think he is a sell out. He is like any other writer that got big. He is being known for his art. What writer doesn't want that. I think its good he is making money now i always loved his art. My favorite is the monkey with the sign. Its a classic.
I dont know about that, not every writer who got "big" makes mad money off their shit... take Connecticuts own Geser 3A (Theres plenty of other writers just as good, but not quite as known throughout the US) he hasnt "sold out" or done any billboard designs and shit... so not everyone has to sell out to get big, and not every big writer sells out...

But from the whole "Is Banksy a sell out?" standpoint, Id have to say he is in a sense. Not nearly as much as some others though. But I dont consider him a graffiti artist anyways... [/b][/quote]
and ges ain't making money like banksy is from his graffiti, no dissrespect to Ges, but thats just how he gets down, banksy chose to make some money from his shit, mainly because banksy's shit IS more on the artistic side, than on the classic letters graffiti tip that Ges enjoys.

Both are sick and it's unfair to call out banksy just cos hes making some money and living it up. yall can't deny his talent no matter how sell out he is.
PS why isnt he a graffiti artist? cos he don't rock letters? he puts shit on walls illegally, and in many cases makes more impact than most letters writers. he thrashes walls and other surfaces with his mark so he sure is a graffiti artist...

[molotow_15]

banksy's too commercial <_<

[fateee]

Originally posted by BIGel@Mar 5 2007, 04:23 PM
this is why everybody that writes or is involved with the scene in any way is an asshole, cause every time somebody makes it big they get jealous and throw beef around. banksy has come out with some of the smartest, freshest, most relevent street art around..shit that everybody else could only dream about. he almost single handedly revived stencils when they were dead, and got graffiti good publicity everywhere. he's a legend and legends should be respected.
verrry well put.

[tha boy in da corner]

*edit trple post*

[tha boy in da corner]

*edit triple post*

[tha boy in da corner]

Originally posted by .A.K.4.7.+Mar 5 2007, 06:05 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (.A.K.4.7. @ Mar 5 2007, 06:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> why isnt he a graffiti artist? cos he don't rock letters? he puts shit on walls illegally, and in many cases makes more impact than most letters writers. he thrashes walls and other surfaces with his mark so he sure is a graffiti artist... [/b]
W.O.R.D^^


<!--QuoteBegin-molotow_15@Mar 5 2007, 06:10 PM
banksy's too commercial <_< [/quote]
:lol:

your nickname is a brand so fuck you videogame-screenshot-signature/ brand nickname/ deviantart page hardcore true underground writer

To be an artist, you have to make art...

To make a living out of that art, you have to sell your work, sell entries to an exposition or sell your services to paint for someone.

Im going to make a lot of 15yr olders MAD big times with that but the fact of walking around town throwing up flops and tags on every possible surface does'nt make you an artist, art is taking this whole graffiti thing to another level like selling markers/cans/tshirts/stickers/posters/cd/video/artwork or anything that can make you making a living out of your work.

I totally respect the whole bombing thing, don't get me wrong, but to make anything else of a criminal record and a few crackfriends out of all that you have to take it to another level, just like banksy did


His art is GENIUS and he deserve mad props for that even if he is painting live on martha stuart's show.

I don't see the big deal with banksy selling stuff... i mean cope2 made a whole career on one bubble letter throw, 2-3 handstyles and attitude...
Banksy never putted up the same thing twice and is mad imaginative with his stuff.


No matter what he will sell to who, he still the #1 on my list regarding originality/diversity and illnes of the spots...

HE HITTED THE TATES AND THE LOUVRES FOR GOD'S SAKE

anyway, he make a living out of his art without giving interviews or putting stuff like real king and such bullshit next to his work, so if banksy is considered a sellout in this game... i don't want to be a part of it anymore cuz he is all what i think real ''street'' art is about

[fateee]

encore.

that summed it all up.

[yakrian]

I think the term Sell-Out is a pretty stupid moniker to be using...on anything from Music to Graffiti. Everyone wants to make money...it's what makes the world go 'round, as they say. And if you can find a way to make money doing what you love...by all means, go for it. Things are nice when they're underground...but at some point in your career...you gotta step up to the next level, as it were. Graff writers want fame...Would you say that CHINO sold out because he no longer actively writes, and yet gets all this press and does interviews for all sorts of things? I wouldn't.

Banksy didn't sell out...he bought in.

[Kao.Ali]

is he?
isnt he?
I dont really know. but I deff dont think he deserves his own thread.
I think everyone hit all the main points anyway

[Sli]

sell out or not... He's making money...

[Alchohlics_Anonymous]

Originally posted by .A.K.4.7.+Mar 5 2007, 06:05 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (.A.K.4.7. @ Mar 5 2007, 06:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by Alchohlics_Anonymous@Mar 5 2007, 05:00 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-liltaz78@Mar 5 2007, 03:54 PM
I don't think he is a sell out. He is like any other writer that got big. He is being known for his art. What writer doesn't want that. I think its good he is making money now i always loved his art. My favorite is the monkey with the sign. Its a classic.
I dont know about that, not every writer who got "big" makes mad money off their shit... take Connecticuts own Geser 3A (Theres plenty of other writers just as good, but not quite as known throughout the US) he hasnt "sold out" or done any billboard designs and shit... so not everyone has to sell out to get big, and not every big writer sells out...

But from the whole "Is Banksy a sell out?" standpoint, Id have to say he is in a sense. Not nearly as much as some others though. But I dont consider him a graffiti artist anyways...
and ges ain't making money like banksy is from his graffiti, no dissrespect to Ges, but thats just how he gets down, banksy chose to make some money from his shit, mainly because banksy's shit IS more on the artistic side, than on the classic letters graffiti tip that Ges enjoys.

Both are sick and it's unfair to call out banksy just cos hes making some money and living it up. yall can't deny his talent no matter how sell out he is.
PS why isnt he a graffiti artist? cos he don't rock letters? he puts shit on walls illegally, and in many cases makes more impact than most letters writers. he thrashes walls and other surfaces with his mark so he sure is a graffiti artist... [/b][/quote]
Exactly, I was just going against his ignorant comment that "He did was everyone else does that gets big".

But yes, your right on the whole graffiti artist thing, I correct myself on that one haha, hes not what your traditional veiw of a "graffiti artist" is, but then again, is there one?

Oooohhh I smell a new thread!

:lol:

[Alchohlics_Anonymous]

Originally posted by Sli@Mar 5 2007, 09:04 PM
sell out or not... He's making money...
Thanks for stating the obvious....

You did nothing for this thread.

<_<




But in regards to this topic, it just seems that the whole meaning he had behind his stencils is kind of dying now that rich little mules are buying them. I mean, someone does some letters on a canvas... cool. But when someone puts something with meaning (meaning that was pronunciated with being done on the street) on a canvas... it kind of kills it. But hey, good for him. Im sure Id do the same exact thing, hahaha.

[smartSOFT]

banksy is legit....what did that article say? since he was 15?!?!?!

SINCE HE WAS 15 he has been doin his thing....and you want to discuss whether or not he is a sell out....he loves doin what he does.

is michael jordan a sell out b/c he gets payed to play basketball (a game he loves)? no i dont think so. so why is banksy a sell out? and you know that if you could get paid to do your shit, you would take the money! hell, i would.

if you are good enough to get paid for something you do. you arent a sell out.

[tha boy in da corner]

Originally posted by Kao.Ali@Mar 5 2007, 09:02 PM
is he?
isnt he?
I dont really know. but I deff dont think he deserves his own thread.
I think everyone hit all the main points anyway
if he doesnt deserve his own threead not a lot of writers out there deserve one

[T R E O]

hes not a sell out,hes a fucking monster.he sends a messege out there unlike some writers which do it for fucks sake.his artwork is very much related to politics and current events which are very fresh and is an INDIVDUAL and not part of the bandwagon.much respect to him.

[MAST]

good. he's getting paid for what he's good at and what he loves to do. and for not bad money, at that. he's living a modern artist's dream, and he still rocks his shit on city walls to keep it real. maad props to the dude. i've loved all his stuff for a while, and i really won't stop.

[yakrian]

Wow...whoda thought that some n00b's 4th post could cause such controversy. Nice going Paulie or whatever your name is...My hat's off to you. I couldn't cause this much commotion if I posted a picture of my cock...And no, don't get excited, ya'll...I won't be putting any pictures of myself on here.

[scr3w]

if you make money off graffiti, you're a sellout.

seen does, cope2 does, what makes banksy different?

[tha boy in da corner]

the fact that he took it to the other level, he made his art so easy to understand...

and another thing that makes him different is that he's not giving interviews and showing his face everywhere he still keep a certain anonym status that cope blown away giving away interviews saying he's hard, he beats up people, he is stronger/longer/better then everybody and his ''real king'' attitude.

The day you think you're the master and all that shit, you should switch to something you suck at and climb yourself to master this method.
Sitting around enjoying your king status is a plain display of lazyness in my opinion.

Banksy took the stencils wich at this time were pretty dead, he took em to a new level and made em reappear, once he mastered this technique, he got into sculpture, he made a full size statue that he putted in front of a courtyard or sumthin and once again everyone was blown by this stunt.

Once he did his statue thing he started hacking oil paintings and putting em into museums and displaying em by other ways.

Once the oil painting was going on great, he pushed it again by paintin animals and including stuff like rats/elephants/cows/sheeps and so on...


DEFINITELY not your average subway painting kind of guy...

Nothing against seen wich i think have a very cool attitude and he probably have the best name a writer can dream of, i hate the attitude of cope, and i dont like him that much...

so to awnser your question, banksy is not in the sellout category because he created a category for himself

[SoDamnFresh]

well, to me, a sellout is someone who uses something that is supposed to be sacred to them for the purpose of making a souless corporation and themselves lots of money.

Banksy is using his skill as his trade and thats all good. If he does an ad campain for Coke then he'd be a sell-out. but so far, all the more power to him. I'd do the same.

[JETc17]

I'd only call him a sellout if he was a hypocrit

[.A.K.4.7.]

Thats quite a good point actually...

[nero122]

his a good artist but i think he has lost the meaning of graffiti a bit but whatever u know his rich were poor what does he care

[erambik1]

banksy sounds like a twat at times... "I don't sell tee-shirts because that is commercialising my art" yet he sells books, and videos of himself spraying to the media

i'm not saying I wouldn't do the same haha

[settybomb]

im hearing alot of once you get big you get hated talk, and i dont understand why people dont get that.
Of course by the time you get big enough to have nine million acne ridden teenage wannabe e-writers talking about you on a message board for doing something, regardless of the quality or medium you choose to present your name in, your gonna get hated due to you being cast over a larger mass of people. its simple.
but in my oppinion, what he does is not graffiti for the most part, and i would rather see neckface selling out when theres videos of him doing massive fills and being good at skateboarding and just being down as fuck, then bansky.
Who dresses up like sherlock holmes and glues his shit up in a museum, where for the most part i dont think graffiti should exsist.
but hey man, fuck it.
i just promoted that fucker by hating on him so yeah, were all doing a good job. Go buy his book and a exacto knife from your local craft store RIGHT NOW and get out there and clutter our streets up with wack stencils of your faces or dudes in ties.
word is bond.

[GeSuS_KRiST]

Originally posted by settybomb@Mar 6 2007, 10:12 AM
im hearing alot of once you get big you get hated talk, and i dont understand why people dont get that.
cas knocking others that are big gets you noticed it might be in a negtive way but its still being noticed its like what CAP did to graffiti and spit did in beatstream just stright hate, but in a vebal sence

somepeople just wanna be noticed so bad they dont care if its postive or negtive....

[HuntingLOLs]

he's laughing at those rich fuckers who thing they're alternative and cultural by buying his shit when they can get it for free... now if they stole the work from a wall somewhere (stealing the wall :P) they would be cool in my book. no writer who sells the work he does for free normally is a sellout. he's lucky.

[molotow_15]

Originally posted by tha boy in da corner+Mar 6 2007, 01:11 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (tha boy in da corner @ Mar 6 2007, 01:11 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by .A.K.4.7.@Mar 5 2007, 06:05 PM
why isnt he a graffiti artist? cos he don't rock letters? he puts shit on walls illegally, and in many cases makes more impact than most letters writers. he thrashes walls and other surfaces with his mark so he sure is a graffiti artist...
W.O.R.D^^


<!--QuoteBegin-molotow_15@Mar 5 2007, 06:10 PM
banksy's too commercial <_<
:lol:

your nickname is a brand so fuck you videogame-screenshot-signature/ brand nickname/ deviantart page hardcore true underground writer

To be an artist, you have to make art...

To make a living out of that art, you have to sell your work, sell entries to an exposition or sell your services to paint for someone.

Im going to make a lot of 15yr olders MAD big times with that but the fact of walking around town throwing up flops and tags on every possible surface does'nt make you an artist, art is taking this whole graffiti thing to another level like selling markers/cans/tshirts/stickers/posters/cd/video/artwork or anything that can make you making a living out of your work.

I totally respect the whole bombing thing, don't get me wrong, but to make anything else of a criminal record and a few crackfriends out of all that you have to take it to another level, just like banksy did


His art is GENIUS and he deserve mad props for that even if he is painting live on martha stuart's show.

I don't see the big deal with banksy selling stuff... i mean cope2 made a whole career on one bubble letter throw, 2-3 handstyles and attitude...
Banksy never putted up the same thing twice and is mad imaginative with his stuff.


No matter what he will sell to who, he still the #1 on my list regarding originality/diversity and illnes of the spots...

HE HITTED THE TATES AND THE LOUVRES FOR GOD'S SAKE

anyway, he make a living out of his art without giving interviews or putting stuff like real king and such bullshit next to his work, so if banksy is considered a sellout in this game... i don't want to be a part of it anymore cuz he is all what i think real ''street'' art is about [/b][/quote]
heh :lol:

actualy my sig is a drawing not a screenshot,
who gives a fuck about my username it's the internet,
and further, deviantart page, i never told you too click on it if you
did or not
<_<

[Caikerrr one niinee..]

bases his entire campaign on saying fuck sellouts and advertisers and shit, then goes and makes as much money as he can get his greedy little hands on? selling paintings for 30k to the people he apparently hates? fuck that shit and. he may not be a sellout, but he is a dirty fuckin hypocrit. yes i have respect for the man, and all that hes done, and the work he put in. but fuuuck. boy needs to get his arguement straight. :rolleyes:

[BIGel]

look at all these moral high horses, everyone here is on one. You'd all do the same shit and you know it, Banksy doesnt have to like the people he's selling his art to, becauase its money and you need to put bread on the table. when you guys can show me stuff anywhere near as crazy as banksy's then we'll discuss.

[STAR01]

Banksy is my hero :ph34r:
i totally agree with BIGel's post on the first page
banksy is definitally a legend, mad respect for him!

[sketch3]

well,i live in the same areas as him and see his stuff on walls in camden alot,so he isnt just a corpiret bitch,and word to wat gesus said,toys love to line big writers for fame.just like rappers diss popular rappers.how u think 50 cent got fame

[Slushi]

Originally posted by STAR01@Mar 6 2007, 03:31 PM
Banksy is my hero :ph34r:
i totally agree with BIGel's post on the first page
banksy is definitally a legend, mad respect for him!
word

[kaiser]

if you were offered £50,000 for a painting would u say no...

[sadis]

shit, if you can make money doin what you love then go for it. Hell, last time I went to visit my bro, I did a legal spot and I had 3 different people approach me on painting walls for them. unfortunately I had to turn them down since I had to get back to Cali.

[EGO31]

nah man not a sellout is cope2 a sellout? they both make money anyway they can. but i dont think he's really a writer anymore

[gaunzist]

This thread is such bullshit letts c any of u do wut banksy has done then u can talk whoever started this is a fuckin toy

[scr3w]

Originally posted by gaunzist@Mar 6 2007, 06:29 PM
This thread is such bullshit letts c any of u do wut banksy has done then u can talk whoever started this is a fuckin toy
i suggest you leave.

[GeSuS_KRiST]

Originally posted by sadis@Mar 6 2007, 05:59 PM
shit, if you can make money doin what you love then go for it. Hell, last time I went to visit my bro, I did a legal spot and I had 3 different people approach me on painting walls for them. unfortunately I had to turn them down since I had to get back to Cali.
goin back to cali, cali, cali...

[Hask420]

hes not selling out hes hustlin the world

[ekin]

hes not cus hes just makin money but he still does his stencill shit have seen his book he has 1 of the most creative minds ever