Banksy Museum: A Tearful Experience

♥ Trigger Warnings ♥

BEFORE YOU READ: This post contains mentions of war, violence, and sensitive political controversy. Sensitive topics will be bolded in red.

♥ Thoughts Before Blogging ♥

Honestly, I spent an hour staring at my blank page (with some tears) trying to figure out how I could possibly blog about my experience at this museum without diving deep into super uncomfortable topics. There are many reasons why people find art uncomfortable to speak about or experience, but according to Banksy himself…

I do feel comforted. Not by the topic, but by the fact there is somebody with a greater voice who advocates against everything that harms innocent people.  I am disturbed, but my singular voice is also insignificant. Banksy is listed as one of the most influential people on Times Magazine. He uses his voice when common people cannot and that is what comforts me about his art.

♥ Rats Make Me Crazy ♥

Let’s start tame. When you walk around the museum there is a LOT of rat imagery. Some of my personal favorites include “Rats Along the Seine,” “Gangsta Rat,” and “Out of Bed Rat,” all shown below.

Why was Banksy so obsessed with rats? How is this classified as protest art?

The most important quote to note is “‘…rats are the only wild living animals in cities, and only rats will survive when the human race will have disappeared and died out.’ The similarities between these nocturnal creatures and graffiti artists are clear.

They are the clever, tough, and unwanted vermin of society.”

One of Banksy’s main forms of protest is graffiti art, and as a graffiti artist, he seems to resonate with rats the most. He mentions that if you feel unloved, rats are your role model. Perhaps he feels unloved by politicians due to the fact there is definitely a lot of unrest in the world at the moment.

War, Kids, Future

War. Unrest. Everybody has an opinion on it. Here, I would like to focus more on the position the children are placed (or displaced) in when it comes to war. Banksy focuses on this and topics of innocence throughout his artwork. Here are some examples.

Despite war, innocence is never lost in children. They still find love on top of the hill of guns and missiles, they hug the missle made to kill them. The child with the balloon (symbolic of hope and the future) is reaching at it at a questionable angle; is she letting go of hope and her future, or is she reaching out for it? Children know nothing but love and unfortunately are born in a world with governors who don’t value their lives.

I was met with a sign that said “Exit the Warzone.” My teary-eyed friend said we should. I told him that the worst part of all this is we have the option to leave the warzone. I am heartbroken as I type this, and truly, I believe this is how true art is meant to make me feel. I am meant to feel anger, heartbreak, and desperate for change. These artworks definitely did that for me.

Coppers

Banksy also had strong opinions on policemen and used humor to refer to those negative opinions about the police force.

Banksy does not take policemen’s actions very seriously. He believes sometimes their actions are unwarranted (ex. chasing after a playing stickman), and a less tame idea that can be the intention of making these artworks is the rise in police brutality towards BIPOC. Banksy also alludes to The Wizard of Oz to showcase the unnecessary searching of items when unneeded, he shows Dorothy being searched by a cop, which seems very childish to us as the audience, but is this the reality? The artist seems to believe so.

♥ More About Kids ♥

Banksy loves the idea of innocence and how optimistic and naive children are. It is why he is so angry about involving them in war. Some examples Banksy has about childhood innocence are the heroes they look up to. They look up to policemen, and although Banksy is very opposed to the system they are a part of, he seems to admire that children see policemen as role models. They also look up to nurses and doctors. Children value life, so they value those who save lives.

♥ Conclusion ♥

To conclude, this was one of my favorite museum experiences. I was brought to so many emotions, both negative and positive. I would 100% go again, but I do wish it didn’t cost $26 to walk in. After all, the price of entry is one of those capitalistic ideas that Banksy goes against.

2 thoughts on “Banksy Museum: A Tearful Experience”

  1. Banks is by far my very favorite artist. It would be such a pleasure to meet or even see him. Barbara Buckley USA

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