Banksy Is A Failure.

An interesting article on Banksy, Street Art, his recent residency in New York and Basquiat...
http://thefederalist.com/2013/10/27/banksy/

Here's my comment...

"His audience likes the images they believe he paints of them: as childlike idealists fighting against villains, but how do they fight?"

I think that was my favorite line...and brings up an interesting point about an artist and audience who seem to agree on various political points, yet don't seem to move past the words..

If someone as readily visible, liked, and easily understood as Banksy can't get people to do anything other than take a "selfie" and chuckle at how Zinged the upper class just got...are his messages really meaningful or just another "cool" cause for us first-world-problemers to hang our hats on? Are they meant to change people's minds or just to express his thoughts (what's his goal)? Is the resulting failure one of the artist's own doing or of the viewer, failing to act or be affected by quality art?

You can say the same about much of the art around...but Banksy's work in particular makes a point to "say something" to the viewer...something that has become "HEY I FOUND A BANKSY!" rather than the actual message....

So while I am not as critical of Banksy as the author, I do see a much more interesting conversation being created through this take than the usual "Banksy...cool.." that is usually following his work around..