By Akhil Kumar:
Gavin Aung Than, the creator of this comic that appeared on zenpencils.com says ‘This quote was taken from Banksy’s 2004 book ‘Cut It Out’. Some of the passage was inspired/appropriated from an essay by artist Sean Tejaratchi. I rearranged the last couple of sentences for this comic.’
Wikipedia describes Banksy as ‘a pseudonymous United Kingdom-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.’ It further states that his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
I don’t feel the need to elaborate more on this particular comic and the message it carries, as it is self explanatory and powerful. What needs to be discussed though is the artist, his perception of art and the politics it represents and propagates. A movie directed by Banksy himself called ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop‘, that released in 2010, throws some light on the same (Here’s a decent review if you want to know more about it). This comic is a brilliant commentary on the tyranny of the ‘freedom of choice’ in the present capitalistic system that promotes mindless consumerism for profits, and in doing so bombards the masses with advertisements that won’t let them live in peace, and make them constantly think about their ‘incomplete’ lives. It has far reaching psychological impact. Banksy urges the people to reclaim those spaces and decide what they want to be exposed to.
You can reach me on Twitter at @Akhil1490