For the 2018 edition, 20,000 people submitted works. "Like what you see here? REUTERS/Neil Hall Matt Cardy/Getty Images As a new Banksy appears on the Tube, Culture writer Emma Curzon takes us back through some of his best and most poignant worksTo depict (and implicitly endorse) the immolation of an American flag would be shocking if almost anyone else did itLove is in the Bin, had ironically been rendered more valuable by its half-shreddingCulture writer Harpal Khambay tackles why Tess of the D’Urbervilles outraged the Victorians, and how Thomas Hardy deals with issues of consent that are still relevant in our societyCulture writer Ffion Haf explores the age-old debate over graffiti's value as an art-form, concluding that, in her eyes, its as valid as any other creative outletIn this Redbrick Culture Feature, four writers celebrate their own local cultural institutions, as their very existence is threatened Life&Style Writer Amy Larsen examines Eilish's unique style in light of the sexualisation of young celebrities Comment Writer Rhea Phagura discusses the sexual assault allegations made against Joe Biden and argues we should always believe women even when it is politically inconvenient Life&Style's Charlotte Illingworth argues that the coronavirus pandemic is exposing longstanding prejudices against face coverings In true Banksy form, the stunt grabbed headlines and dominated art world discourse for weeks, as well as setting a record with first ever work of art to be created live at auctionAfter such an outlandish, unexpected middle finger to the art establishment, a potentially controversial Black Lives Matter-themed painting is, by the artist’s standards, almost laughably conventional.
Dave Etheridge-Barnes / Getty Images REUTERS/Robert Galbraith Banksy submitted a painting about Brexit under the name "Bryan S. Gaakman," an anagram of "Banksy anagram." His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh Having first appeared in several locations around London , the iconic motif encapsulates perfectly the artist’s fluctuation between “wholesome” innocence, defiant agitprop, and pranks that fall into the “so weird it must be true” category. The artwork’s original run had no obvious political message, but a variation on the design appeared on the West Bank Barrier, with the girl and her balloons appearing to fly over it. The 2004 motif depicts a jolly Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald, happily skipping along, hand in hand with… the crying, naked young girl from the infamous 1972 Vietnam War photograph, showing the horrific aftermath of a napalm attack.
Dave Etheridge-Barnes / Getty Images REUTERS/Robert Galbraith Banksy submitted a painting about Brexit under the name "Bryan S. Gaakman," an anagram of "Banksy anagram." His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh Having first appeared in several locations around London , the iconic motif encapsulates perfectly the artist’s fluctuation between “wholesome” innocence, defiant agitprop, and pranks that fall into the “so weird it must be true” category. The artwork’s original run had no obvious political message, but a variation on the design appeared on the West Bank Barrier, with the girl and her balloons appearing to fly over it. The 2004 motif depicts a jolly Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald, happily skipping along, hand in hand with… the crying, naked young girl from the infamous 1972 Vietnam War photograph, showing the horrific aftermath of a napalm attack.