A photo by the graffiti artist Banksy was brought into class. I am familiar with this artist; my friend has a book of his works that I have browsed through. His art is combined in the natural human landscape pictorially or literally. The sides of buildings are his canvas, streets and houses are common places to find his insignia. In this integration with our habitat his art is accessible, confusing, and somewhat natural in its existence. We discussed in class what the boundaries of nature are, whether nature is classified by if it is from the earth or if what we create is considered nature. As advanced and progressive it develops, we seemed to come to an agreement that everything is arguably nature. What I would like to factor in is the division between what is considered to be nature, what is natural, and what is habitat. Our habitat is not natural, not the original state it was found in before human interaction; pure mother earth. With the developed human interaction then strikes a foundation for our natural habitat, whether it be caves or steel towers. Banksy’s art brings a connection with art to our natural habitat and nature. His graffiti shows magnificent landscapes among the dull cityscape.
One fascinating piece of his is found on the wall dividing Israel and Palestine. Here is the photograph:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32450642&l=8e464&id=31806123
And this is a link to the actual video footage:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfZK7D6WqzR0&h=041e988449000a997a85d0616019fb20
On the dividing wall he has painted a hole, showing a view of paradise. Small children holding shovels crouch below, playing in the sand of the removed and imaginary beach paradise. It’s beautiful and disturbing imagery, creating the out of place effect Banksy places in his art accordingly. The violence associated with Israel and Palestinian conflict is symbolically recalled within the sight of this wall, just as a Nazi swastika cannot stand alone. These conjured thoughts are countered by these visions of peaceful nature, integrating this not-so looking earthly wall with nature. This peek into what could be, and what else out there, shows how his art ties nature, art, and our habitat into one.
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