Awareness and Reaction 12/13/22: Banksy

Graffiti has always been really interesting to me, and as someone who really doesn't know all that much about graffiti, Banksy is really the only artist I know about. I like how he has a combination of lighthearted works and some works that are social commentary. Even some of his social commentary pieces have a lighthearted themes.

I think part of the reason graffiti is so popular and exciting is because it's illegal. Because graffiti is against the law, it has a rebellious, taboo sort of energy to it, and people get that feeling by looking at it. Graffiti by its very nature challenges the system and rebels against established rules and norms.

The fourth image here is a letter from Zehra Doğan to Banksy. Zehra Doğan is a Kurdish artist who lives in Turkey who was arrested for posting articles and artwork criticizing the Turkish government. In response, Banksy made an art piece supporting Doğan's struggle, and Doğan wrote this letter back to Banksy while in prison. It's really interesting that artists can come together to support each other and what their art stands for. These two artists are alike in their willingness to take the risk and protest using their art, and their camaraderie makes it all the more inspiring.