UnCultured

HBO to Air ‘Banksy Does New York’ Documentary in November

After taking over the streets of the Big Apple with last October’s “Better Out Than In,” Banksy’s month-long “street residency” is set to be the subject of a new documentary from HBO. Entitled Banksy Does New York, the film — which roughly coincides with the one-year anniversary of the project — sees direction from New York-based filmmaker Chris Moukarbel and relies heavily on crowd-sourced footage for a unique look at the phenomenon from the perspective of local New Yorkers. Look for Banksy Does New York to air on HBO November 17 and, in the meantime, check out Banksy’s own video below and the @banksyny Instagram account for a look back at “Better Out Than In.”

See 'Better Out Than In' trailer...

Banksy - The Banality of the Banality of Evil for “Better Out Than In”

Whether it be slave labor, hegemonic power or even the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Banksy has never been one to shy away from a bit of a controversy. Thus comes The Banality of the Banality of Evil from the elusive British graffiti artist for “Better Out Than In.” Repurposing a thrift store painting for a Nazi-emblazoned oil-on-oil-on-canvas offering, the piece is a reference to famed Jewish German-American political theorist Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil – a 1963 publication that followed her reporting for The New Yorker on the infamous trial of Holocaust organizer and Nazi lieutenant colonel, Adolf Eichmann. The piece would seemingly suggest that the artist’s thinking falls in line with that of many contemporary political theorists and their rejection of the “banality of evil” – the idea that many of history’s great evils, instead of being carried out by fanatics or sociopaths, were instead done by ordinary people who accepted the premises of their state and thus their actions, as “normal.” Donated back to the shop from which it came, The Banality of the Banality of Evil, according to a number of sources, will be put up for auction by East 23rd Street’s Housing Works Thrift Shop.

Banksy - "Sirens of the Lambs" VIDEO

Leave it to Banksy to mix the cute and the cuddly with the totally disturbing. In the 11th work of his Better Out Than In exhibit happening on the streets of New York, the British artist takes over another delivery truck but, this time, there's no enchanting garden or running waterfall. Instead, a slaughterhouse delivery truck is carrying 60 stuffed animals (or puppets) - cows, chickens, pigs, lambs - who are seen moving their heads through wooden slats. This isn't just a visual installation, however. The animals can also be heard squealing and banging their against the sides of the "Farm Fresh Meats Inc" truck.

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Banksy’s “Better Out Than In” Hits New York’s West Side on Day 2

After kicking off yesterday in Chinatown with the so-called "The Street Is In Play" piece, the ever-controversial Banksy made his way to New York’s West Side on day two for a continuation of his “Better Out Than In.” Described as “an artist’s residency on the streets of New York,” “Better Out Than In”‘s second piece sees Banksy poking fun at Big Apple residents and the way in which they see themselves. Stay tuned for more from the street-set “exhibit” throughout the month of October.