One post on Facebook drew my attention: it’s a report in the UK titled “Helpful schoolboy handed print by train passenger claiming to be Banksy who told him ‘this will be worth about £20,000’ – but artist denies it was him“. It’s my first time to hear Banksy and get to know this mysterious man who is said to be “a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter”. The work that the schoolboy was given is Banksy’s iconic flower thrower (made in 2003), which is also the cover of his 2005 graffiti book “Wall and Piece” — man, at this time of writing, this book is temporarily out of stock at Amazon… anyway, it should be a fun read.
I like his artworks, especially this flower thrower one — “Banksy leads us to believe the subject has armed himself for a riot or a war. The substitute of the flowers for a weapon portrays peace and hope in place of destruction.” It is this kind of controversial yet reasonable depict, together with his mysterious identity, that make this iconic flower thrower eye-popping.
His graffiti works reminded me of a similar art experience in the Wynwood Art District in Florida not long time ago, a place with hundreds of graffiti murals that really bewildered my eyes. I have no time to delve into the details of who painted those (even though some of them were pretty impressive). Oh, I remember that I didn’t put my feet on the ground while enjoying those graffiti in the car — somehow I can sense the crime rate in that area won’t be low…
I hope to come across Banksy’s works in other various forms in the future.
Hold fast, and let go. 