American Graffiti

With Hurricane Gustav testing the new levees in Louisiana, I found it approiate that one of my favorite pop artists, Banksy, had visited New Orleans just a few days ago. An anonymous British stencil/graffiti artist, Banksy uses urban landscapes to make social and political statements, bringing light to issues which younger generations may not pay attention to. I think Banksy's style of thrusting his imagery into the environment really captures your attention. I also like the fact that you could walk by it any day for free, which relieves it of some pretensiousness of modern art.
With this visit to America , I think he tried to capture the poverty and amount of destruction that occured during Katrina. Banksy also goes on to say "I came to battle with the Grey Ghost, a notorious vigilante who's been systematically painting over any graffiti he can find with the same shade of Grey Paint since 1997." I found it intriguing that their was such an competition between street artists which remain anonymous. I think the fact that there were so many abandoned houses to paint on reveal that there is still a lot to be considered in New Orleans, both structurally and philosophically. Banksy also took time to stop in Alabama, tagging this stencil on a building. Although many might consider this vandalism, I think that this brand of brash art manipulates the surroundings we take for granted and mankes up part of the installation.