Banksy take on brexit

Today I’m going to introduce you a street work of art of Banksy. To begin with,I think it’s important to definie few terms. First of all, art is the expression or application of human creativity skill and imagination. It could have cultural, social, historical and economic references. Then, political means relating to the way power is achieved and used in a country or society. So, we can ask ourselves how does Banksy is using his work to transmit a political message? Answering this question means in one hand to learn a bit more about Banksy and in another hand to identify the political message of his work and find out how he is transmitting it.

Who is Banksy?

Banksy is a famous - but anonymous - British graffiti artist. He keeps his identity secret! He produces pieces of work which pop up in public places, such as on the walls of buildings. A lot of his art is done in a particular style which people can easily recognize. He quickly became well known as an artist who would poke fun at big companies and send political messages through his work.

What is his style?

Banksy was heavily influenced in his early days by a French graffiti artist called Blek le Rat. Not only what did this artist inspire Banksy politically, but Banksy was also inspired by his use of stencils. Banksy took on this visual style for himself and, to this day, uses stencils to do a lot of his work. This allows him to create his paintings with great detail in a short amount of time - and has also helped him to remain anonymous.

Why is he controversial?

His artwork can be rebellious and is known for delivering a political message. There are lots of people who love what he does, paying many thousands of pounds for it and considering it to be incredible art. But there are others who don't support what he does and consider it to be vandalism. Some of his graffiti has been painted over soon after it appeared. There is a debate about why Banksy's work can be protected as 'art' when other graffiti artists are prosecuted and sometimes even put in prison for doing the same thing.

In May 2017, a mural showing a workman chipping away at one of the EU flag's stars appeared at the ferry port in Dover in England. It is called “Take on Brexit”. Dover’s location is particularly relevant at it is one of the main gateways to Europe. This is the artist first comment on the UK’s decision to leave the EU. The graffiti came at a contentious time for European politics: the UK was undergoing a general election that will dictate how the country moves on with Brexit.

Furthermore, the mystery of knowing if it was really a Banksy work of art was solved when Banksy posted photographs of the work on his official Instagram feed on Sunday 7th of May, perhaps timed to coincide with the French presidential vote — which, as it turned out, the young and ardently pro-European Union former investment banker Emmanuel Macron won decisively.

The election solidified France’s place at the center of the European Union and highlighted Britain’s position on the outside looking in.

Nevertheless, Banksy is expressing his own point of view about the Brexit issue which is also a huge political message. He is denouncing the fact that if the Brexit is voted there

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