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An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

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Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#161

Post by harimau777 »

fjsolwmv wrote: post #126
tomxor wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Feels super weird to me that in its full context the point of this sentence wasn't "We should stop letting people starve to death instead of sending people into space". I think the point was that you can apply that logic to anything... However if you really wana talk about spending on space programs vs spending directy on starving people, consider where we would be technologically, scientifically etc as a society i…

We could invest in lofty ideas to alleviate starving...

Isn't that exactly what happened? Banksy is an artist who feels that capitalism causes suffering (presumably including starving). This sale results in his ideas about alleviating starving by ending capitalism to be propagated and provides him with the funds to further propagate those ideas.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#162

Post by harimau777 »

throw0101011 wrote: post #31
emteycz wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not artifact of any financial system, this would happen even if we had full communism, just illegally and with barter/favor payments. It is artifact of human nature.

With a different kind of accounting, people behaviors may change. The wealthy art consumers want status, prestige, and acceptance as one of the ‘cool’ crowd. Or when buying for investment, they expect some will buy from them for those effects. If we make it much more prestigious and ‘cool’ for people to show off their equivalent donations to starving children, fewer will bid for the drawings and more will donate.

Two thoughts: I don't see a viable way to change what society views as prestigious and 'cool'.

I can see the argument that the amounts spent on works of art are excessive, but it seems like we should at least keep in mind that this does benefit society by supporting the creation of great art.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#163

Post by drasticmeasures »

psergeant wrote: post #29
throw0101011 wrote: post #25

Not referring to this specific exhibit but other pieces by a similar artist. Thousands of people can create this kind of paintings for cheap. That it still sells for more than what many people can make in a decade or a career means a stratospheric concentration of wealth in society or a bubble in the commercial art world. If there is real scarcity because of climate change or other widespread disaster, how much can a…

You know Banksy made a film about exactly what you’re describing called “Exit Through The Gift Shop” right?

What good was that film if it made us "think", but not act?

I believe OP is putting the lessons in that film into action in his life, and those actions are present in the thoughts expressed in his words, and happily not the other way around like the people in and outside the art world giving lip service to Banksy.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#164

Post by tootie »

Reminds me of this classic Ai Weiwei photo where he just destroys a Han Dynasty vase for no good reason. I honestly love this photo. It really speaks to the breaking of tradition and not being bound to the past.

https://i0.wp.com/www.guggenheim.org/wp-content/uploads/2017...

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#165

Post by drasticmeasures »

kasey_junk wrote: post #149
throw0101011 wrote: post #25

Not referring to this specific exhibit but other pieces by a similar artist. Thousands of people can create this kind of paintings for cheap. That it still sells for more than what many people can make in a decade or a career means a stratospheric concentration of wealth in society or a bubble in the commercial art world. If there is real scarcity because of climate change or other widespread disaster, how much can a…

This is a funny comment about this particular piece of art because it is an obvious & unsubtle reading of the theme of this piece (and other Banksy pieces).

What's your reading of it?

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#167

Post by drasticmeasures »

throw0101011 wrote: post #25

Not referring to this specific exhibit but other pieces by a similar artist. Thousands of people can create this kind of paintings for cheap. That it still sells for more than what many people can make in a decade or a career means a stratospheric concentration of wealth in society or a bubble in the commercial art world. If there is real scarcity because of climate change or other widespread disaster, how much can a…

You raise a good point.

People are free to do how they like with their money, but outrageously some spend it frivolously in cheaply-made art for status or tax evasion purposes.

Bill Gates late-life philanthropy raises a counterpoint to this, in my view. The wealthy don't owe anything to anyone, but that's how a person starves to death waiting for a little mercy. Mr. Gates now invests in saving people, not in art, and that's a worthier status giver.

From a moral point of view, they should be charitable since they have so much that giving away a little bit of their fortune would have a tremendous impact on a significant amount of people while themselves being none the worse for it.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#170

Post by drasticmeasures »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #70
rapnie wrote: post #18

Big art has been hijacked by big money. Art as an investment vehicle, something to preen yourself with, show others you are elite. This shows the hypocrisy. Unfortunately it will not change anything. The piece has just become more valuable, I predict. Go Banksy. Art for the masses.

Nothing has been hijacked. Artists create art, for fun or profit. Rich people sell it to each other.

Art has meaning, and some intended meanings expressed through art are nullified when the art piece is turned into a commodity.

Artists rebelling against commodification of their art pieces in the past saw their own anti-commodification art works turned into commodities, thus nullifying their message.

The message that comes through becomes the ideas that you have expressed.

Modern artists like Banksy or Damien Hirst, or anyone who has read Naomi Klein's "No Logo", are knowledgeable of this.

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