CHRIS MOUKARBEL

BANKSY DOES NEW YORK (2015)

Directed by Chris Moukarbel.

Banksy is revered and reviled, considered both a vandal and a genius. Completely anonymous, he is nevertheless without question one of the world’s best known living artists; having left his unmistakable mark and social messages everywhere from Los Angeles street corners to the walls of the Tate.

Over the course of a month-long residency in New York in October 2013, Banksy and his team took to the streets – secretly creating a variety of public work ranging from elaborate conceptual stunts to traditional graffiti art. Constructed under the dark of night, each new piece was then announced daily on his #BANKSYNY Instagram account and chronicled on his pop-up website. Constantly evading a citywide search by the NYPD, Banksy’s work created a public response that was an equal mix of reverence and derision, with some of the more controversial statements sending waves of reaction throughout the city. From a Central Park stand where priceless original works were anonymously sold for $60 to a mural on the entrance to the Hustler strip club, to a junkyard in Willets Point, Queens; New York City served as the canvas for this street art vigilante.

REVIEWS Banksy Does New York - On the habit of art