Ellen Scobie | Verosimile

Banksy is a UK graffiti artist whose identity is unknown to the public. His stencil sprayed graffiti of clever visual puns and satirical political comment are removed from London's public surfaces as soon as they're discovered by the anti-graffiti squads. Before that happens entrepreneurs with no qualms about making a buck from others' ideas take photos of his work and create prints to sell. Banksy does not sell his work but there is a galley in Spitalfields that I saw yesterday filled with prints of his work mounted on blocks that can be had for 20 quid. Aren't the purchasers of his work missing the whole point of his expression? And why would they want to support those who have commodified his art to make their own money? And then there are the auctioneers who have been known to sell his original street artworks to the highest bidder who is then left to figure out how to take possession of their purchase. Check out Banksy's work in Bethlehem as reported by the Mail Online.

More: http://www.banksy.co.uk

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Ellen Scobie is a visual artist melding the traditional art forms of painting, photography and printmaking. View her art at www.verosimile.com