TOPSY-TURVY-TRICKSY…BANKSY!

Abstract

My article centers the discussion on Banksy’s street interventions. It analyzes the world’s most famous street artist, underlining the impact of his artworks on the city and its citizens. Banksy’s street art calls attention to the hypocrisy of political and corporate ownership and to authority over public spaces. Banksy’s stencils and museum interventions encourage interactions, often using timeless symbols and icons, inciting to question existing structures of authority and hegemony, fighting for a redistribution of power. My analysis demonstrates that Banksy’s cultural production is a way of linking street art to beautification and enhancement of the urban environment. In conclusion this study promotes Banksy's imaginative use of locations and public spaces as a way to bring out the wonders of the urban landscape fostering a new urban mindscape.