Banksy
Banksquiat Black, 2019
Screen print
27 1/2 x 27 1/2 in
70 x 70 cm
70 x 70 cm
Edition of 300
Series: Banksquiat
Copyright The Artist
Banksquiat (Black) was released in 2019 at Banksy;s infamous Gross Domestic Product pop up store in Croydon, London. The work pays homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat and can be seen as a commentary on the commodification of the artist and the endless spinning of the wheels of consumer society and capitalism. Banksquist (Black) is a signed edition of 300 and is signed and numbered by the artist in white pencil.
Banksy uses Basquiat’s famous crown motif that appears across Basquiat’s works in both painting and print format. The W style of the crown is rumoured to reference Basquiat’s relationship with pop-artist Andy Warhol who discovered Basquiat in New York in the 1980s. Other theories suggest that the crown symbolises Basquiat’s own views of himself as a a king and references his own power. Elsewhere, it has been thought that the crown is a homage to black power.
The image depicts a ferris wheel, the type seen at fairs and carnivals, and, instead of the carriages, Banksy uses Basquiat’s crown. In the foreground of the artwork, we see a group of individuals watching the turning of the wheel in a stereotypical British suburban setting with an old-fashioned phone box. Banksy further channels the spirit of street art pioneers with the chalk effect of the work - perhaps a nod towards the Subway drawings of Keith Haring - also a contemporary and friend of Basquiat.
Banksy, the enigmatic street artist known for his satirical and politically charged art, created a project titled "Gross Domestic Product" that was launched in October 2019. This project was essentially a storefront in Croydon, South London, which was not a physical shop but a display window for his art pieces, including homewares and other items.
The "Gross Domestic Product" project by Banksy was a response to a trademark dispute regarding his name and art. The artist was at risk of losing the legal rights to his own work and name due to a greeting card company that was contesting his trademark, claiming that Banksy did not produce merchandise bearing his name and thus was not using the trademark in commerce. In response, Banksy opened this "store" as a way to sell his own branded merchandise and thus protect his trademark.
The items displayed in the shop ranged from the absurd to the politically poignant. They included items such as the stab-proof vest worn by Stormzy at Glastonbury Festival, a cradle surrounded by CCTV cameras, and a clutch purse made from a brick. These works continued Banksy's tradition of using humor and shock to provoke thought about serious social and political issues.
As for the prints under this project, Banksy released a series of limited edition prints that were available for purchase online. These prints often carried his signature style of stark, stencil-based imagery combined with irreverent and subversive messages. The prints, like his other artworks, addressed a range of topics from consumerism and hypocrisy to war and inequality.
The "Gross Domestic Product" project received significant media attention and was widely discussed both for its artistic merit and its clever circumvention of legal issues surrounding trademark and art. It also raised questions about the commodification of street art and its place in the market, a theme that Banksy has frequently explored in his work.
The "Gross Domestic Product" project by Banksy was a response to a trademark dispute regarding his name and art. The artist was at risk of losing the legal rights to his own work and name due to a greeting card company that was contesting his trademark, claiming that Banksy did not produce merchandise bearing his name and thus was not using the trademark in commerce. In response, Banksy opened this "store" as a way to sell his own branded merchandise and thus protect his trademark.
The items displayed in the shop ranged from the absurd to the politically poignant. They included items such as the stab-proof vest worn by Stormzy at Glastonbury Festival, a cradle surrounded by CCTV cameras, and a clutch purse made from a brick. These works continued Banksy's tradition of using humor and shock to provoke thought about serious social and political issues.
As for the prints under this project, Banksy released a series of limited edition prints that were available for purchase online. These prints often carried his signature style of stark, stencil-based imagery combined with irreverent and subversive messages. The prints, like his other artworks, addressed a range of topics from consumerism and hypocrisy to war and inequality.
The "Gross Domestic Product" project received significant media attention and was widely discussed both for its artistic merit and its clever circumvention of legal issues surrounding trademark and art. It also raised questions about the commodification of street art and its place in the market, a theme that Banksy has frequently explored in his work.
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