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Gaza, Palestine

Palestine sous les Yeux de Banksy// Palestine through the Eyes of Banksy (En/Fr post)

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Banksy is an anonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist and film director of unverified identity. Banksy is the pseudonym of a “guerrilla” street artist known for his controversial, and often politically themed, stenciled pieces.Their satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.

banksy soldier palestine
Credit: banksy.co.uk

Banksy’s works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.Banksy’s work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that they were inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist who later became a founding member of the English musical group Massive Attack.

banksy cattie gaza
Credit: Banksy.co.uk

Most of his fans didn’t really want to know who he is for years.His work not only includes many powerful, often controversial images, but they may also be found throughout the Internet as viral images. In 2015, he decided to travel to Palestine and the West Bank, where he stenciled nine images on the Bethlehem Wall. These images were an instant hit and virally exploded in the Internet.

banksy gaza art children
credit: banksy.co.uk

Back in 2015, the mysterious British street artist published a video on his official website in which he unveils his new works in Gaza city and raised awareness of the living conditions of its inhabitants.

It bears the title: “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination.” But this is no ordinary travel advert. On the surface, one would think that it is a tourist video showing a new destination, as the shots above the sky, were shot through a plane. But the destination is less heavenly than expected. It is in the centre of Gaza city, in the Palestinian territory, where the British street-artist Banksy gives an appointment to the spectator.

banksy bouquet flowers
Credit: twitter caption

The destruction the artist depicts was a result of the 50-day conflict which left 539 Palestinian children dead and close to 3,000 injured.In total, more than 2,000 Palestinians and 67 Israeli soldiers were killed, according to United Nations figures.

Six civilians in Israel were also killed. Hamas militants attacked the country with rockets.

According to the Independent, British artist Banksy’s latest venture in early 2017 to open a hotel with ‘worst view’in the West Bank has drawn criticism from some Palestinians who say it is “conflict tourism” which “normalises” the Israeli occupation. The project has been met with opposition by Palestinians who believe it trivialises their plight.

The ‘Walled Off Hotel’ opened in an Israeli-military controlled part of Bethlehem earlier this month. Its 10 rooms all face the Israeli separation wall which cuts through large parts of the West Bank. Constructed in 2002, the International Court of Justice ruled the wall is illegal under international law. At its closest point it runs just five metres away from the hotel’s entrance.

gaza banksy door
Credit: Twitter caption

  • Who is Banksy?

Mr Del Naja is actually a well-known visual artist, whose art has appeared on every one of Massive Attack’s record sleeves. He started his career as a graffiti artist and is credited with bringing the stencil graffiti movement to Bristol.

Journalist Craig Williams helped fuel this theory last year, with a blog post matching the appearance of Banksy murals with Massive Attack tour dates.

The intrepid 31-year-old discovered at least six occasions on which Banksy murals appeared shortly before or after Massive Attack performances in the same city.

On one occasion, Massive Attack played a show at Toronto’s Sound Academy on the same day Banksy murals appeared in the city. On another, Massive Attack took a residency in New York at the same time Banksy’s “The Street Is in Play” popped in NYC. The same pattern has emerged in Melbourne, Boston, LA and New Orleans.

For the british Independent, admittedly, there are thousands of people in the world named Robert – but only one of them is connected to a fan theory around the world’s most mysterious street artists.

  • Français:

Banksy est le pseudonyme d’un artiste connu pour son art urbain (ou street art) et également comme peintre et réalisateur. Dissimulant sa véritable identité, Banksy est entouré de mystère. Cet artiste combine les techniques de Warhol et l’œuvre in situ pour faire passer ses messages, qui mêlent souvent politique, humour et poésie comme Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Miss.Tic, Jef Aérosol ou Blek le rat.

Les pochoirs de Banksy sont des images humoristiques, parfois combinées avec des slogans. Le message est généralement libertaire1, antimilitariste, anticapitaliste ou antisystème. Ses personnages sont souvent des rats, des singes, des policiers, des soldats, des enfants, des personnes célèbres ou des personnes âgées.

Sept mois après l’opération militaire israélienne, en juillet et en août 2014, qui a fait plus de deux mille morts, l’artiste de rue britannique s’est rendu sur place, avec ses propres bombes, pour tenter d’attirer le regard sur la destruction de Gaza.

« Gaza est décrite comme la plus grande prison à ciel ouvert du monde, car personne ne peut y entrer ni en sortir. Mais n’est-ce pas un peu injuste pour les prisons , qui elles n’ont pas de coupures d’eau et d’électricité quotidiennes », note, avec ironie, Banksy sur son site

Qui est Banksy?

«Donnez-moi une bulle, collez-la sur un T-shirt avec Banksy écrit dessus, et voilà. Ça se vendra. Sans vouloir manquer de respect à Robert. Je pense que c’est un artiste brillant, qui a révolutionné le monde de l’art.» Pendant un podcast de la série «Distraction Pieces » avec l’artiste Scroobius Pip, l’un des grands noms de la drum’n’bass, Goldie a accidentellement dévoilé le prénom du célèbre street artist Banksy. Banksy serait donc en réalité le graffeur Robert Del Naja, l’un des membres fondateurs de Massive Attack !

Une révélation qui pourrait confirmer les théories qui circulent déjà depuis plusieurs années. Le journaliste britannique Craig Williams a en effet mené l’enquête, en septembre dernier, pour tenter de mettre un visage sur le pseudonyme de l’artiste urbain..

Selon lui, les œuvres signées par l’artiste sont apparues à plusieurs reprises sur les lieux des tournées du groupe : à Melbourne en 2003, Los Angeles en 2006, San Francisco, Toronto et Boston en 2010. Une coïncidence troublante renforcée par le passé de graffeur de Robert Del Naja, l’un des membres fondateurs de Massive Attack. Originaire de Bristol, comme Banksy, Del Naja a d’ailleurs admis être un ami du mystérieux artiste. Goldie est lui aussi originaire de Bristol, ce qui expliquerait la bévue.
La dernière installation provocante du street artist Banksy est un hôtel, aménagé par ses soins. Un établissement aux prix et aux couchages variés (du dortoir à la suite présidentielle) dont les fenêtres donnent sur le mur de séparation construit par Israël en Cisjordanie occupée.

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