Banksy Vs. King Robbo Documentary Airing On UK Channel 4

As far as his fans are concerned, Banksy can do no wrong. But a new documentary airing on UK's Channel 4 shows the complicated relationship that Bansky has shared with his graffiti counterparts, especially the long-celebrated King Robbo. The two are involved in an ongoing feud that has blossomed into an ideological war.

At the heart of this debate is the long-standing resentment of street art by graffiti writers who feel that street art merely cashes in on the original aesthetics of graffiti while giving up its core principles of anonymity and rebelliousness. While many writers see their illustrious graffiti careers end either in anonymous retirement or a stint in jail, street artists enjoy a streamlined path to the gallery scene. Eager to remain in touch with current trends, galleries the world over have turned to street art, but the youngest generation is accused of abandoning its roots.

The documentary provides an in-depth look at a dichotomy that's frequently oversimplified in order to show how an entire movement has come to mature and reflect on its purpose through a changing visual language. It shows that while the public have come to embrace street art as legitimate movement, there are still issues of politics and tradition that are overlooked in the general discourse.

Untitled from SAN on Vimeo.

Comments

[Max Shaw]

04:49 PM on 09/20/2011

I think street art in the sense that its not graffiti art--is way more thought-provoking than graffiti. It requires artists not just to use the physical environment as a medium in which to build upon, but also in that it is often more accessible and allows for more open interpretation of the work and its statement--whether it be about politics, society, war etc...

Love Banksy. Keep up the good work!

[h jablome]

08:56 PM on 09/19/2011

banky's stuff is interesting, provocative and original. almost ALL other graffiti is boring derivative crap. worse than that is tagging. phu-leez, writing your name with spray paint isn't art - even in the broader meaning of art.

[JoeChip]

06:16 PM on 09/19/2011

Robbo just seems like an uninteresting punk who resents that he can't make the money that Banksy does nor have the talent to do so. Tagging isn't art. It doesn't have a message, it is just ego BS. Friends have had maps with all their tags marked with push-pins. It's just a signature that few others enjoy to see.

[ctekin]

12:25 AM on 09/19/2011

This is a great documentary. These are fascinating people.

[jigzaw]

07:30 PM on 09/18/2011

Ugh. They should all be arrested or at least heavily fined. The original "principles" of graffiti? Uhh, I'm pretty sure it was gangs marking their territory. Banksy is certainly an attention-whoring fraud, but so are all the "true" graffiti "artists". Screw 'em. If they can't paint something on a canvas and get it shown or sold, and have to resort to stunts that include defacing other people's property, then they're not worth a damn.

[kauthon]

04:04 PM on 09/19/2011

I agree. recently, and I'm sure of the details but a gallery went and lifted the art on the street and sold it. Which I find completely funny cuz if you are going to deface other peoples property then that property owner should be allowed to sell his property with the so called artist's graffiti on it.

[Tara Hunkoff]

05:13 PM on 09/17/2011

If I paint letters on surfaces, I can hardly be surpised when others paint more interesting objects on surfaces.