
Banksy
Banksy collaborated with Spanish street artist Escif to create Banksy’s Axe, a polymer resin sculpture released through Banksy’s 2019 Gross Domestic Product shop. The piece playfully engages with the tradition of the readymade, flipping expectations by meticulously crafting a familiar object from scratch. The sculpture, resembling an axe embedded in a wood stump, captures attention with its cartoon-like simplicity and wit. Upon closer inspection, the axe reveals a unique detail: a flower growing out of the handle, which transitions from a smooth, polished surface near the blade to a rough, organic texture toward the base. This transformation emphasizes the piece’s satirical edge, transforming an everyday tool into a work of art that can’t fulfill its original function. Escif’s clean, illustrative graffiti style and critical commentary on societal issues, such as capitalism and technology, align seamlessly with Banksy’s approach, making their collaboration a clever and thought-provoking critique. The result is an ironic reinterpretation of the readymade, infusing a familiar form with humor and layered meaning.
Join our mailing list
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.
521 W 26th Street
5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm
Open Saturday by appointment only
info@guyhepner.com
+1 (212) 226 8680
177 10th Avenue
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10001
Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
info@guyhepner.com
+1 (212) 500 8190
This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Find out more about cookies.