Had to go and make sure Banksy wasn't dead before the intro was done

The thing that I find Ironic about Banksy is that he never wanted to be famous for his work because he wanted people to enjoy art randomly in different areas, but now it seems the only thing that makes regular people recognize the art is that he made it Its gone as far to the point one owner ripped out a wall that Banksy's had painted his art out just to sell it, Its the last thing he wants to make his urban art only recognized because "look Its Banksy!" Instead of "oh! Look at this cool painting I found around the corner!"

My professor described 'art' best (in my opinion). "Art is a verb, not a noun. The art is the act of making something, not the finished product. The finished product is ' a WORK of art, what it took to get there is the ART." James Olsen

Banksy having his pieces sold to randos for reasonable prices is a bigger EFF YOU to the art world than the shredding because it denied the art elitists the opportunity to capitalize on his work.

What if he stopped putting his name on his projects? And leak that he has begun doing this. This would allow "copy cats" to make similar artworks to his, and not signing them ultimately increasing the risk over the reward. Banksy creates ultimate anonymity, creates an environment where the art is more appreciate, and gives nameless artists a voice.

"Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage."

"I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody" - J.D. Salinger I feel it is the unwanted resolution to the paradox

I have a couple of paintings of the ocean my mom purchased on the boulevard in Santa Barbara. They are beautiful and I love it and I look at it and it reminds me of my childhood. I have a painting from my grandma, I have no idea where she got it or who painted it, but I love it. I stared at it for hours in the reflections of the pool playing over the painting during the summers I spent at her home. Looking at it now can bring me back to that place. My relatives didn't want it, they didn't think it had value. To me, it's one of the most valuable things I own.

The only person I've actually seen successfully escape this cycle is Bob Dylan. And he did that by simply disappearing in his prime. He was one of the most famous people in the world in the 60s. He was a big voice in the final days of the protests for civil rights. He wrote songs that everyone wanted to cover because those covers went #1. He's a big influence on the fucking BEATLES. He's a big reason Ray Bans got so popular. People copied his hair, his songwriting, his music, his everything. He was called the voice of one of the most defining generations in recent history. And then one day he just dropped off the face of the earth, and came back years later after the hype was gone. Killed his own spectacle on purpose. The only other man who did it was Muhammed Ali - but it was forced upon him. Perhaps it's no surprise that him and Bob were close friends back then.

i think an important factor to consider, at least in the kurt cobain comparison, is that kurt wanted to be the meat to be fed on. A book he said he was obsessed with, a book i read and can relate to as well. Perfume, by Patrick Susskind. A book about a boy who hates people but he wants the people to be obsessed with him and just when he accomplishes his goal and finally creates his perfect perfume which makes people go crazy over him, he decides he couldn't care less about their love and wants to be consumed by the very thing he's always known, the only thing he's ever known, which is hate. He douses himself with his perfume which makes people frenzy and they literally eat him alive. Just going off my own perception of life here and trying to guess how kurt might have felt, he disliked crowds and dynamics of shallow social interactions but was acutely aware of how they worked and wanted people to be gaga over him. Just when he reaches his goal, he realizes again oh yeah fuck people the stupid shits. However, i dont think thats why he killed himself, you can cope with all that bullshit. I think he kablamowed over the fact he couldnt quit heroine and be the father he wanted to be to his daughter. The shame you feel from failing yourself over and over again. Complete despair. My fight isn't heroine but i can only assume the dynamic of the fight makes you feel just as bad if not worse since the stakes are so much more meaningful to one's integrity. Conclusion, maybe the video has some merit, but his suicide has nothing to do with it.

This is such a struggle for me as an artist. All I want to do is paint, and make paintings. But I understand my paintings need to have value in order for me to paint more. All I want to do is gift my art, but if I do, I won't survive. I'm still a student, so I'm trying not too hard to worry about it, but it's sad that I have to think about whether anyone will buy my passion.

I can't speak on Banksy, but in regard to Kurt Cobain, It's a widely spread sort of twisted romanticization that he only loathed being famous and successful. Especially to suggest that he killed himself because he couldn't handle fame, which is a particularly one dimensional way to look at a very troubled man and his life. It's spread around like fact. In reality, Cobain was a deeply contradictory man, yes he had many problems with the institutions he ended up benefiting no matter what he did, and certain people who listened to his music. But it's a first hand account from band mates, friends, and Courtney Love that Cobain loved and longed to be famous. He strategized to have a ridged plan to become famous, it's talked about in the Montage of Heck documentary. He worked endless nights to create the perfect, simple pop songs that would go onto Nevermind. If he really wanted to not be famous or loved, he would simply not release any more music. Kurt Cobain loved his audience, just not those that he considered posers. In the end Kurt was simply disillusioned by fame, not that he merely hated any aspect of it.

I love your channel. I'm an art teacher in Bulgaria and I use your videos in some of the lessons.

Banksy could escape the trap by creating immense amount of art that he gives away for free or very cheap, and keep doing it reliably, like opening a store etc, ensuring the devaluation of his own work.

Your point about the art market not being about art but about profiting reminds me of David Harvey's thesis on the contradictions of capitalism - specifically the dicothomy value of use vs. exchange value. The artwork is not sold for its purpose of being art, but for the sole aim of reselling it, thus generating more exchange value. The same applies to real estate. Houses are built not as shelter, but as prospects of investment.

This is why Warhol was really almost the end of art - he recognized exactly what this video is about - his screens of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell's soup cans was a commentary on the fact, that was always there, that art is a commodity. Once you get to that point, is there anywhere else really to go that hasn't been done previously, possibly better?

As an art student ( who also has studied extensively in finance), the reality of art market you raised here has often troubled me. My solution so far is to aim for the publishing side of art and work towards comics, picturebooks and illustration. If I ever collect art, I would collect pieces from artists active in this industry whose work express truely of themselves. I also don't think these artists you mentioned here are truly 'trapped', I often feel like they just don't want to work for anything less than a big payday. I remember once being told that selling lots of prints will surely 'devalue' an artist's work and I should apparely avoid that to make sure my 'originals' can sell at maximum value. Coming from this, Banksy could easily just make unlimited prints and sell them, and use all the profit to run a free art school. Or if he doesn't want to participate in capitalism activities such as 'selling', he could also just give it all away during one of his exhibitions, make it available all the time. If a copy of 'official ' Banksy is so easily obtainable, would he still be 'trapped'? However I have a feeling that he doesn't want to do this. Then the sad truth is that he is a willing participant in this own show and we are the ones who're trapped to watch it and believe what we're told.

This reminded me of Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd. If you think about it, the lines "Welcome my son, Welcome to the machine, What did you dream? It's alright we told you what to dream" are so deep and hard-hitting to such an extent that it's terrifying. No one can ever really escape the system/machine.

Capitalist Realism is one of the greatest books of the last 20 years, the points made and topics touched upon feel more relevant now than it ever did in 2009. R.I.P Mark Fisher

The only escape is to keep your talents hidden from the world and enjoy them without the influence of outside force. Do it because you love it not because you might have an audience

The only thing Banksy could do to genuinely prove he wants to bring down the system is not only hyperinflate the number of works he puts into circulation but also destroy his own brand. When ‘Girl With Balloon’ cutoff half way and didn’t fall into pieces on the ground, I knew he was full of shit.

Great video, I feel like capitalism ruins art in every medium. Paintings, street art, movies, video games, you name it. Sales, profitability and mass appeal often will trump creative liberty or experimental ideas. From my perspective as a game developer, I believe it’s why every AAA game the past decade has the same graphical style. Or why game studios often stick to a formula. I’m not much of a painter or “traditional” artist so this is what I have knowledge on, hope this has given some people a little insight onto my favourite artistic medium.

A bit late to the party, but this video made me think of a quote from Disco Elysium's Joyce Messier : "That's how simple it is. One may dye their hair green and wear their grandma's coat all they want. Capital has the ability to subsume all critiques into itself. Even those who *critique* capital end up *reinforcing* it instead."

As someone raised in a Latin Ghetto in the Los Angeles area, I can say for certain that ideals and political theories don't pay for food, rent, or medical care. I know a lot of artists from SoCal who want the big payday because it means they can live a decent quality of life. As much as I love Banksy, especially as an artist myself, I doubt he's living on Ramen. Who gets to decide what's excessive and what's reasonable? Perhaps that's a decision best left to individual artists. Judging an artist based on their willingness to profit from their art says nothing about how rich or wonderful the art is. Politics is the realm of deception and mental masturbation. I personally couldn't care how much or how little an artist wants in earnings from their work. Good art is good art, regardless of how much it costs. Be well.

The fact that Kurt was going to name their next album, “Verse, Chorus, Verse” perfectly sums up the duality of his nihilism and his self awareness of capitalistic success that you’re referencing.

I have to side eye Banksy's shredded painting because if Banksy really wanted to make a performance art-type statement, it would've shredded the piece completely. It only shredded it halfway, so the piece wasn't destroyed but only looks partially destroyed. It lets the buyers have a circle jerk of thinking they're buying something "subversive" and Banksy gets to keep the check. Banksy's become a parody of theirself.

I love the use of 'One' from Metallica as a background music since it's about a man trapped inside his own body and can't wish anything else but to die !

As a emerging artist, it took me so many years to think about an escape to this paradox and I personnally found my way of doing it. I add two simple things in the contract when something is sold : First, you cannot resell or donate the work. You can only keep it or GIVE it back to the artist. Second, to make sure that this piece can also be seen and experienced by other people, I can, with a two months notice, borrow the artwork for a show and then give it back. Added to the contract, I feel like now any people that wants to buy art is for an artistic/experiential value and nothing else !

Great quote. This video has doubled as an advertisement for the book itself, which I'm going to have to pick up. Interesting way of tackling Banksy and the unintentional struggles that have come about alongside his work and the mythos about his intentions. You've managed to discuss Banksy's trapping without using a cliché, which is very easily done when talking about his work so well done on avoiding that paradox!

at the Sydney art gallery , there was a collection from some rich American woman there was some excellent pieces , some good Renoir , which I don't really like , a striking Monet , the best I've seen and a completely unknown whose painting was a small sailing boat under the moonlight , it had a powerful oniric effect , truly emotional I concluded that for the woman to have included it along famous artists , she was collecting for value not for price

How is someone suposed to escape this paradox? doing murals in public spaces?, opening a free gallery? even if he personally sells it at $60, there will still be people that will own/resell his works and trade them like investments and inflate his value due how much of a celebrity is now, i think the real answer lies beyond the monetary value taking away the meaning of things wich is tied to our capitalist society and only if we move beyond that sense of having ownership of a unique copy of and instead experience the beauty or understand the message of said art, i remember a quote that i like from David Aja (comic artist) "Id rather 10k people buy my art for 20 bucks than one person buying one single piece for one million, art should be culture for the people"

That was a fantastic description of the artist's dilemma. I'm reminded of Erased de Kooning and R Mutt.

A couple of years ago a Banksy painting appeared on a random road near my house in Nottingam. People quickly trashed it and then the wall on which it was painted was sold to a millionaire. It was sad.

A video on Gao Xingjian would be incredible. His artwork is so breathtaking.

Basquiat was the more tragic art case. Ai Wei Wei uses the spectacle, finding his voice through it.

2nd Episode of "Black Mirror"'s first season "15 Million Merits" is about this trap exactly, messed with my head and was hard to forget, now this video made me think about it again. Damn.

This topic is so good i can watch hours of videos about it even if none of these videos have anything new to offer. Seeing people care about it is enough even if it makes no difference. Thanks

This reminds me also of basquiat and I am curious as to how you would analyze the paradoxes of his artistry...... Gonna have to buy that book now !

As always, Thanks again for another brilliant talk!!

Jordan Peele’s film “Nope” leans very heavily onto the idea of making a spectacle out of something. Very much in line with what you’ve explained here. Great work

This is exactly the kind of YT content that needs more attention. I greatly empathize with both artists. I wanted to be a professional artist as a kid. I've seen the great documentary on Banksy that includes the clip shown here. I'm old enough that I was saddened by the death of Kurt Kobain as a teen. Thank you.

It would seem that income generation has become the only enviable horizon. Art is therefore a particularly attractive vector, under the right conditions it produces income without effort, i.e. without associated costs. What a treat for investors who do not even need to be interested in the object itself or in art in particular to benefit from it. The artists becomes, whether they want it or not, the suppliers of commodities for speculation. Great video, thank you for your work.

thank you ive been wanting a more concise explanation of this point

This is top notch writing and I am glad you are here!

True. Helluva lotta horrendous things shown on tv over much good things, always favoring massacres, hate, and drama, while also desensitizing us to the things we see on a daily. Things like the sky turning orange, wars overseas, shootings sometimes just minutes away can be a commodity for news outlets to get the worst things. What used to be a tragedy has turned into a spectacle of reality put on repeat.

I think it says something that it took me 19 and a half years to find an artist that I actually genuinely appreciated in any way. The world of art is entirely cut off from the general public in most ways, and it feels unreachable even though there are so many places to go and enjoy it. Since I found Beksinski, I’ve really taken a dive into his work and history, what inspired him, and feel genuinely like I’ve made a connection to some kind of art, and it feels incredible. And for like, 90% of people, I bet they haven’t had anything close to that, which makes me really really sad.

This was mind blowing. It's one of those things that I'm sure most of us are intuitively aware of at some level, even to the point of it causing extreme frustration and anger, but, at the same time, is difficult to articulate. Brilliantly done.

I love the way you talk with such a calm voice…. now, I’d love to see your bloopers and retakes. plzzzzzz

It seems like the New York Kiosk was a pretty powerful form of protest- only because it wasn't a spectacle piece on every late night news channel. It is also an interesting way to redistribute wealth, bc anyone could afford those pieces, and then resell them to "rich" collectors. But it also doesn't "hurt" the market.

Man you got me thinking about existence with this one

Honestly, the best videos I saw in a long time. It gave me a strong feeling of melancholia.

it is so commendable to me that you could broach the subject of "the master's tools/house" without quoting Debord directly. I thoroughly enjoyed the content of this essay, and I look forward to watching more of your videos!

There is, in theory, a way to escape this trap, although it is admittedly very destructive 💥 Of course, the most organic way for the paradox to end is for the discussion around the artist in question to naturally die out over time. However, the duration of this process is directly tied to the artist's fame and can last a couple of months all the way to multiple decades - The more famous an artist's name has become, the longer it will take. It's a positive feedback loop. Some artists eventually reach the status of legend and become these mythical figures, cemented in history and almost synonymous with their trait. I'd argue that Cobain had already become a legend before his death and there was practically nothing that could've changed anything about it, including his own death. Banksy is at a similar point now. Every critique he will ever voice in the form of art will ultimately feed back into this terrible loop because this is the very essence of what caused it in the first place. There's not a lot he could do in this situation to stop this madness. His name has already become a brand and everything associated with that brand is being sold for millions, no matter what it is... although... One way to end this cycle... is to violently bomb it. By sacrificing his career and tarnishing his own name, Banksy could possibly taint and deface this "brand" enough to the point the loop breaks. It has certainly happened to many celebrities before, although accidentally most of the time. This is of course not an option for most artists in this situation because in doing so they would ruin their career and also the rest of their lives. However, the actual person behind "Banksy" is cleverly protected by their anonymity, so they would at least still be able to live a normal life. For Banksy, whoever he might be in reality, this last-resort kind of act is like pushing a big red button labeled "self destruction 🔴". The only question remaining at that point is what act would be horrible and violent enough to cause such a nuclear meltdown 🤔

I think it's not just rich people who make the art market inaccessible. Artist themselves see how much other people's art go for and then try selling their art beyond its means. It's also very difficult to put a fair value on art. Art is very subjective, every person values the same piece differently. So if you don't value/can't value a piece of art to be millions of dollars, then don't buy it. The art that sells for that much money is only a small percentage if art sold. It's just the art that's popular because it sold for that much. Art is like a hobby. There's "underground" less popular routes of entry that, for a true enthusiast, are accessible. Kind of like how you mentioned, you expressed your desire for people to buy art they like, and I think a lot of people do that. Just not the people who spend millions of dollars on art. And you only hear about art that was bought for millions, because thats more news worthy than one that wasnt. It's the same thing with cars. There's a lot of ways for real enthusiasts to enjoy what they enjoy about cars. The enthusiasts dont often spend millions of dollars, but rich people who arent enthusiasts do. Idk I'm not super knowledgeable on art itself, I enjoy watching other people talk about it. But I think there's a lot more at play here than just capitalism bad or rich person bad. I still really liked the video, you always put up such fun, opinionated work!

Just wanted to say thank you for the great content as always!

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on UKposts. Wow.

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” -Banksy

An artist has no obligation to their audience. By making their own art, they can create an escape from the paradox that can be followed by those who are present.

The way you just described Cobain, was absolutely the best and most aware .. That I have ever heard.

When you go to a museum there’s the peace that should be your favorite and then there’s the peace that really should be your favorite.

Art, to me, is any work that invokes thought or emotion

Art is also used as a way of laundering money and dodging taxes

Excellent commentary, brother. ✊

I have been watching his videos since he had 50K subs, and now he is at 250K. From day one, I knew he will get a million one day. For those that are watching it in the future - I was here. Good job, and keep it up :D

Not many artists actually ever make as much money nor are as ‘recognized’ as most would like to think, until after they die.

I just paused the video to do a happy dance that you're referencing Capitalist Realism because it's SUCH a great book

Absolutely brilliant comentary!!!Thank you!

Early to a Canvas video :) Thank you for making great videos & helping me discover my interest in art w/ the leftist draw-in. Excited to watch this video on such a tragic topic.

I once threw up at a painting exhibition but that was more a statement about the quality of the wine and the amount that l was nonetheless able to bravely consume more than any comment on the commercialization and commodification of the expression of existence.

Your voice is soooo gooooood and i really like the topic. I didnt ask for this but this is good. Very very good. ❤️

Hello! I write my comment here because this was the first video I saw from your channel. I just wanted to let you know that I looove your videos. The way you use your calming voice, pronounce words and build what you want to tell is marvellous. Your content is the best way to use youtube, it's informative, it's interesting. It teaches how to discuss provocative, controversial topics in an intelligent way and it's sooo much needed nowadays. This channel is an oasis in the crowd of stupid short videos and meaningless social media content. I really would like to hear your opinions on music as well. Please never stop what you are doing! Wish you the best and Thank you!

8:15 “… they become a spectacle; a show comparable to a Netflix movie.” On a different scale, but not unlike what is happening in Ukraine.

I generally do think that most of what Banksy tries to express is shallow as far as anticapitalism goes but this gives a lot more insight to the place he has in the art world. I still don't exactly sympathize with the position he's in, because by now with his success the most he could muster in any kind of stunt is the exact kind of Simpsons style mishap that would obviously do well. I'm not saying he has to do a mutual aid project but it certainly would help instead of constantly headlining with what amounts to little pranks.

early! already know this gonna be a good vid

This video was awesome n i love the riff in the background

Imagine having to write the script for this video, knowing that even critically analyzing this concept plays into the premise by creating more media to consume. Cobain writes a song against the system, which then becomes a product in it. Then this video points that out, becoming a product to discuss the product which itself was criticizing itself as a product

This video reminded me of a great documentary and one of my personal favorites, "Exit Through the Gift Shop". It documents the history of street art and graffiti, its commodification and how it grew from a niche and illegal art movement to costing billions in the eyes of those who don't appreciate its message. I still don't know if Banksy really _did_ take part in this documentary, but it's still thought-provoking commentary. This video really encompassed the feelings I had after watching that documentary on art becoming a commodity. Back then, I didn't understand why I thought Thierry Guetta's actions of using his connection with Banksy to instantly propel himself into the spotlight for money and sell out were... Wrong. And now I do. Thank you for the insightful video!

I really liked this video, I really relate to this effect when it comes to listening to music. I often just pick an album (which is considered to be good) and listen through it. Afterwards I look at the most streamed songs and am surprised, because the first listening experience often doesn't hear out that much differences and/or wether or not a song could be greater than one another.

Really great doc. Another contemporary popular artist group I think that fits this paradox is the hip hop group death grips. Their online pranks and leaking free albums have got them a lot of worldwide attention while staying very cryptic and maintaining anonymity with their personal lives. The more anonymous they remain the more records they sell. They became more and more famous while they split up and just stopped playing live and kept posting random abstract art online. Def. in the vein of residents, Beatles, nirvana ? etc...

6:20 Does anyone really believe that Banksy's work of art destroyed itself spontaneouslly? This action involved a huge, complicated mechanism hidden under a disproportionate frame for such a simple print. Does anyone believe that an auction house does not eximine thoroughly all items that enter the building? If they didn't, it would be an easy way to introduce a bomb into an auction -killing rich people, by the way. This "accidentally destroyed" work of art tenfolded its price in just 30 seconds! Banksy may be indeed a genious in artistic terms, but he is also a "capitalist genious": he knows what the "bourgeoisie" wants and is willing to give them exactly what they want - and he sets the price. As Charles Baudelaire once wrote, "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist”. The greatest trick pulled by every "alternative" artist is convincing everybody that he/she is not a mainstream artist, as in fact he/she is.

We will never hear about the TRUE independent, individually expressive, outside-the-mainstream artists.

Not only a paradox but serendipity when you told me not to think of a blue dog I no joke was finishing up an illustration with a BLUE DOG on it, I know you might not eblieve it but I nearly screamed aloud "NO WAY" when I heard you say that at the beginning! SRSLY

The Capitalist Realism reference is awesome

To me, the solution for Banksy is a simple one. Stop the mystery. Stop being anonymous. Let the air out of the proverbial red balloon as it were. He needs to unmask himself, verify that he is indeed Banksy. Become accessible for a while, give interviews, appear on podcasts, television etc. etc. continue to make his art but not stealthily on buildings and bridge overpasses and the like. Make it for the masses. Make it for the consumer culture. Put every new work on a plastic cup, a water bottle, napkins… and destroy the original. Everybody who wants to have a work by Banksy shall have it. It just won’t be exclusive.

"What if one of these paradoxes prevent you being who you are?" thats basically my life as a trans woman, if i present as myself, something that makes me feel happy and complete, then the world hates me for it and makes my life very difficult, but if i present as the world wants me to then im depressed and struggle to get through life.

Black Mirror (S01E02) Fifteen Million Merits. The part about taking that angst and commodifying it. Also, what is that backing loop? It sounds so good!

damn, this was such a great analysis

both of these artists have openly gone for fame and success. everything else is your own projection. sure cobain was sick of the position he was in, and he dealt with it poorly. he did do everything he could to get there though, because that is what he wanted.

I think Banksy doesn't do it for the art anymore, she's seen what people do with her art and it's made her give up on actually creating anything that has a message in it, because it will get twisted and corrupted into the exact thing she's always rebelled against.

This video was insightful I’m curious what backing music did you use it groovy as hell

Very nice video. It immediately makes me think of the one who walked away -- J. D. Salinger. He made his mark on the world and then dropped the mic. He was lucky enough where his royalties from Catcher In The Rye allowed him to turn his back and live like a cultural hermit. Could Kurt Cobain have ever been so bold? He might still be alive if he did. What does the future hold for Banksy? I am sure that he could afford to just walk away ... but it's more fun to keep playing the game.

well the premise is that art must be a rebellion, which i reject out of hand. another is that spectacle is bad, but that's what art pieces are when tossed into the fray. what you are talking about is decorations for rich folks. of course they want them to accrue while they try to impress their friends that rarely come over. here is the base desire of an artist: to sell something and make enough to continue. Van Gogh's great failure. he continued anyway. the only thing Banksy is actually trapped in is a style, he has made his bank. (ha!) you didn't mention NFT's which are the attempt to commoditize work made in the digital realm that are infinitely reproduceable. NFT's are the attempt to get your tens on the untenable. what they actually have achieved is to make fools of the buyers. Maxfield Parrish saw all this and reveled in it. it all goes to motivation. why are you making these paintings, etc? to satisfy a need? just to kill time? or is it just to make a buck? i don't think humans made cave paintings to rebel against hunting, but to brag of kills. the idea that art must be a rebellion may have come from the desire to rebel against being sent to a senseless war that cuts ones career short. rebellion against style just results in another style. one can rebel against painting and just stop painting. too bad for Duchamp.

How is banksy a victim here if he's the one selling his artworks at the galleries and creating all the spectacle? With Cobain it's more understandable, but with internet we have freedom to sell our artworks for whatever price to whomever we'd like, or publish it for free even. You want to criticize "capitalism" but you make a big auction of your own artwork, with all the spectacle of it being half "destroyed", knowing the story will add to publicity and value of the artwork. Why didn't he destroy it entirely, or why was it even auctioned in the first place. Looks to me more like virtue signaling rather than actual meaningful protest

Great work man keep it up

I think you really hit the core of the issue in one of your last points before the conclusion, "...they'll participate, contribute, and empower the very thing they hate, without any meaningful chance of criticizing these institutions." While you argue that there is no good out for Banksy to take, I argue that the only way forward for him and others in this trap is to continue on, regardless of what institutions or impact exists. So much of today is focused on the taking away from, the taking of, the taking down; all forms of taking that overwhelm opportunities to give. Some things must be opposed and their power taken from them, but others, I would say most things, should be overwhelmed by what you have to offer, what you can contribute, what you can give to them. Your community, your politics, your articles, your art; all your ideas must be given freely, for you only give value to what you create if you artificially make it scarce. Don't fall into their trap of creating your own scarcity; create to create, and let the value you see from it come from the impact it has on others. Don't take your art with you to the end, give as much as you can while you can.

I am not a fan of capitalism, but this is a very bad take. 1) Neither Cobain nor Banksy were great artists. It's interesting that not a single qualitative comment much less judgment wa suttered in the video. You spoke about the art as commodity and art w/o once speaking of the thing that is the coin of exchange in art over the eons: quality. 2) Hence you are a commoditizer. 3) You fail to acknowledge that both of them CHOSE to be commodities. It was not thrust on them. They were not trapped. They leapt inside the game to play it. Cobain's mental ills and addictions proved it was a bad move for him but he chose to be a rock star, he chose to marry a rock star, he chose to throw his angst and domestic abuse out into the world to commoditize it. And no one in the art world takes Banksy seriously as an artist. He is the embodiment of Warhol 2.0. He chooses to play his outrage even though he has IMMENSELY benefited by it, with little artistic quality given back to society. Even more than Cobain he is part of the PROBLEM- a sellout who pretends he's not a sellout. He's like David Foster Wallace was to the MFA writing mafia. 4) And look how you present this take, and all the other ones- you use a wholly generic UKposts perfected vocal style that is mean to connote depth, even as YOU and this video pile on top of the commoditization you claim Cobain and Banksy wrongly protested. Ans then you add to the lush emotionless narration with the routine butchering of foreign names- esp French and east European, and STILL don't see the utter irony of your plaint. in short, you displayed no critical ability, which sort of rhymes with the lack of artistic ability that is NOT MENTIONED re: your two trapped artists who banked millions in such a trap w/o providing any quality to society. And, as I type you have almost 30k views in a day, mimicking other YT narrators and complaining about a problem that, at least for your 2 'victims' is not really a problem. And how much will you get from YT for this shallow and disingenuous take? Are you trapped. or is it you that has YT in a snare?

Great topic, seems to have stirred up a lot of buzz!

Loved this analysis.

I feel that shredding the "girl with the balloon" piece showed a visual of the metaphor that you have to kill you self in some way to work as an artist or creative of any kind in the modern age. Kurt, supposedly, did that literally while Banksy used a paper shredder to show it. Im a musician in the modern age and its amazing how the industry really works as well as the people around you that want to tell you how to live your life.

Well said. Thanks for articulating what I have always felt about the state of the art world.