Tuesday, December 20, 2011

How Banksy Stole Christmas


With all apologies to the memory of Theodor Geisel, it’s not the Grinch stealing Christmas this year—it’s Banksy! In Cardinal Sin (above), Banksy takes a replica of an 18th century stone bust of a forgotten Catholic clergyman and defaces it by “de-facing” it and replacing the visage with a series of tiles. Timing the revelation for just before Christmas and choosing to “indefinitely” loan the piece to Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery, Banksy steals all the warm, fuzzy feelings of the holiday and forces us to face the chilling reality of the Catholic Church’s worldwide sex abuse scandal. Is this a valid religious-political statement or shameless self promotion—Banksy being Banksy even if it means ruining Christmas. You’re a mean one, Mr. B. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "How Banksy Stole Christmas."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dude, I don't think that's Banksy's work. I believe to be the work of Invader. http://www.space-invaders.com/artworks.html He's the guy who does all the tiled street art. Some historian you are.