Is Street Art Over?
Writing for Slate [http://www.slate.com/id/2254894/], critic Ben David investigates the possibility that Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop may have been a “poisoned valentine” to the global movement known as Street Art.
New York critic Ben Davis has penned a provocative slideshow essay over on Slate that includes the poignant tagline: “Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop is a poisoned valentine to the movement he made famous.”
I’m happy to see more contemporary art critics grappling with the ideas and contradictions of street art, which is a movement dominated (or suffocated, based on your perception) by fanboys who have no interest in being critical of their beloved art form. At the end of the day, street art has become just another aspect of contemporary art practice — though you wouldn’t know that by visiting this year’s Whitney Biennial.
The money shot:
Gallery art focuses, ultimately, on selling status symbols to rich people, but for this very reason it tends to maintain a certain distance from corporate design. Street art is hostile to established commercial art channels, but has been altogether more comfortable moving in and out of mass commercial culture.
Full disclosure: I’m quoted in the piece.
