I stand "on shukher" near the transformer booth. I am trying to get lost in the bushes that grow around this white house box. I will see a passerby - I give a sign Nikita, the younger brother of the girlfriend, who in 13 became interested in rap, and then graffiti. For the year he was impressed: the paint can be replaced in his hands as a magic, and a volumetric colorful inscription appears on the wall. This is his tag - the author's signature of graffist. It was my first acquaintance with Street-Artra (street art), I was 15 years old, a graffist Nikita, who took me "on business", - 14.
Danger. Speed. Self expression. All this felt when you find yourself face to face with a giant street "canvas". Draw quickly without thinking, trying not to attract attention. And the result ... It may be filled with tomorrow, and maybe they will see it and remember ...
How many guys with cans in Moscow? Thousands. And in the world? Dozens, and maybe hundreds of thousands. Calculate them is impossible. After all, draw on the walls is considered vandalism. Such artists are outlawed. Most of this attracts. "This is an invasion of an ordinary environment, extreme," explains the Moscow graffitist AcidBask. "Invasion" began in the 70s and captured almost the whole world ...
Artist without face
... The lighted "here was Vasya!" It has long been left in the last century. A professional complex pictures that can be found in the most unexpected places came to replace the "rock-" letter. So many adolescents are entertained. The average age, when boys start fond of Street Art, - 12-14 years old. A little more was the first rayer (from the English Write (Wright) - to write) New York, which became one of the founders of the culture of graffiti, named TAKI 183. In the 70s he worked as a courier and left in those places where he had been, - In the subway, on the walls of the houses - its signature, the tag is a pseudonym, drawn in its own style. In 1971, an article was published in New York Times about a teenager who "marked" by Paul New York. For TAKI 183 Hundreds of teenagers began to leave their tags on the streets of the city. Soon the tags were more complicated - the giant colorful canvases appeared on the forgotten urban walls - Trow-Apa (from the English. Throw-Up - throw (here - throwing a drawing on the wall, train)). Basically, they were associated with hip-hop (youth culture, originated in the 70s in the Wednesday of New York's working class and at first there was a social protest culture).
In the 1970s there is a revolution in graffiti. Whole wagons graffers cover drawings. New York's authorities begin mass destruction of graffiti. And at the same time the first exhibition of graffers opens. After that, they recognize official art. The future "Robin Hood London" appears on the light - Bankxi.
Robert or Robin Banks is known to be unknown, what is the real name of the artist, - Bristol was born in Bristol, an old city in the south-west of Great Britain. At 14, Banksy begins to leave his tags. But once, running away from the police, decides that next time it will go to business with stencils. For time saving. Banksy still does not know that it is stencils and an inset will make it the most legendary street artist of the planet ...
Features of Banksi, affecting witness, made with English humor, call for peace and freedom. Chimpanzees symbolize the British ruling class, and the favorite Character of Bankxi is an omnipresent rat with which he joins himself, - freedom. The public is delighted with modern Robin Good. In a documentary film about Street-Art "Exit through the souvenir shop", which removed Thierry Guett, and mounted the Banksy himself, presented the reaction of ordinary passers-by. Here is the tricky style: he cut the telephone booth, died again, only crooked, and ... he returned it to the place, and Tierry Guetet, the Frenchman fascinated by street art, filmed on the film, as the townspeople took it. Most were delighted and immediately recognized the "hand of Banksy" ...
English humor streets
One of the most sharp works of Banksy is made on the cry of crying, which shares Jerusalem to Israeli and Palestinian. Israeli soldier checks the donkey documents ...
In the fall of 2006, a new album of Peris Hilton was released. Banksy replaced in several stores a pop star discs on their own. On them - only a 40-minute song of a friend of Banksi, DJ and multi-instrumentalist, Danger Mouse, and, of course, their own pictures. The substitution was not immediately noticed and because no buyer returned the Bank's disc back.
Graffiti captured the whole world. This is what the correspondents "RD" saw in Spain.
Another time, Bankxi decided not to wait for his work in museums, and placed them there himself. The British Museum's cautors first did not pay attention to the new exhibit - stylized under the primitive art image of the stone century hunter, which rolls a cart from the supermarket. And when after 8 days noticed, they left in a permanent exposition! Bankxi more than once did this focus - changed an old man or simply in inconspicuous clothing and put his work next to the classics. The artist declares: "My work is good enough to be there. And I do not understand why I have to wait! "
Once Banksy printed money with a general advantage of a million pounds. Only instead of the portrait of the queen on the bill, the princess Diana smiled. Bankxi wanted to climb on a high building and scatter the whole million down the street. But first decided several bills to slip towers. He did not expect that those won't notice the substitutions and manage to buy beer on art fake. Therefore, Bankxi did not fulfill their "leaving a million". Bags with "Diana" are stored in his workshop.
Banksy loves to travel. His screen drawings are in many cities in the world. For example, last year in the Australian Melbourne, the janitor crushed one of his rats. She "was conquered" on the wall of the Russere theater since 2003, that is, seven years. The city of the "Cultural Capital" Australia Katie Alexander brought her apologies to the townspeople, and the artist. She said: "We had to take steps to protect Banksy images before. It is a pity that this is this graffiti no longer restore. "
Banksy works are now sold for hundreds of thousands of real dollars. So, his Green Mona Lisa, with paint, dripping from the eyes, was sold for $ 57 thousand. The red telephone booth, allegedly destroyed by vandals (the same, which was shot by Terry) in 2008 - for $ 605 thousand. The painting "spoiled Hurst" left for a record $ 1 million 870 thousand when estimated at $ 250-300 thousand. Banksi works are in the collection of the stellar characters of the planet. For example, the singers of Christina Aguilers, Mannequins Kate Moss.
Graffiti on the wing wall.
Recently, the name of Banksy became the subject of bargaining. In January of this year, FULL NAME (surname, name, patronymic) of the street artist, Anonymous tried to sell on a virtual auction. The initial price of the lot was $ 3,000, but after four dozen sentences it approached the million. Anonymous has calculated Bankxi on tax services reports through which the works of Banksi sold from the auctions took place. When bidding for a sheet with a real name, Banksy approached completion, the lot was removed from trading.
Becky is all the harder. Its popularity is growing and wishing to expose "artist without face" more and more. Here is one of the recent assumptions put forward by the Daily Mail newspaper. Journalists of the publication believe that the pseudonym Banksy is hiding Robin Hanningham. But do we need to know the name of this artist? After all, his anonymity is not just a departure from punishment for "vandalism". "Faceless Banksy" - a symbol of freedom of self-expression, which is lit thousand guys around the world.
Why Moscow "Why"?
Moscow, as many of the capital of the world, heard the call of art streets. Starting from the 90s graffiti began to flood the city. It all started like in New York, from the trains.
"We arrived at the Graffist team to the Losinoostrovskaya station," the artist Acidbask recalls. - The train drives up, you are literally a minute to draw a tag or flop ("Fill-in" - drawing made by contour. - Ed. ). Dramed a few wagons. We were not caught. In our team, probably, only one, I first just painted, and even then it took up Street art. The remaining guys are engaged in graffiti since 10 years old.
Rat is a favorite character of Bankxi.
Teams that are engaged in graffiti and are even exhibited in small galleries like AcidBask, in Russia a lot. We have and "Russian Banksy" - O331C (read as a winter). He creates abstract pictures on the walls and, as the famous Briton, hides the surname. But the name is known - Zhenya. "The most important thing for me as an artist is not to convey some kind of evil. Art is the transmission of feelings, is sure O331C. - There are those for whom Street art is a party. But there are others who want to achieve something in art. I remember Kirill Amanita from the team "Why?". He had long written all the inscriptions on the walls of the "Vera, I love you," but I felt something. This was honesty. And personally for me only such things - Street Art. "
By the way, the team "Why?" - One of the most popular in Moscow. A multi-minded question "Why?", Which they do not get tired to write on the walls, you can interpret how you want. Want - think about politics, you want about love. Although the legend of the creation of the group is very prosaic: supposedly the future team "Why?" Somehow gathered and someone from the guys said, they say, let's draw graffiti. And the other answered: "Why?". Nevertheless, the question became a symbol of domestic Street Art.
Is the official art of graffiti recognized? Yes, this is confirmed by exhibitions that are increasingly held in the galleans of the capital. And soon Street-art will burst into the "stronghold of conservatism" - in the Tretyakov Gallery.
The red telephone booth went for $ 605 thousand.
"I already took several domestic Street art teams at the exhibition," says the head of the newest currents of the Tretyakov Gallery Kirill Alekseev. - And I am going to May to make an exhibition dedicated to street art. But you need large rooms. Unfortunately, I can not set an object of 10 meters long, painted by nitrocrases, because they are harmful.
- What do you think about Banksy?
- Banksy is on the edge of events, including political. The artist is not an artist if he does not meet time. He made a coup in Street Street Art. Banksy creates global, international art. It works in places that are under the close attention of the authorities and society. He has already entered the history of art. Behind him is a school, followers, and this speaks much. I communicate with artists from Tusovka Banksy and I will be glad to see them with us, in the Tretyakov Gallery.