Art is a language that shapes perception and thought processes and hence its creator is also observed as closely as his artwork. And akin to a movie star his actions are noted and questioned. This readily puts the idea of “perception” to a litmus test of sorts. The notorious “Baloon Girl” episode which occurred in Sotheby’s recently, was one such event. Banksy is an anonymous UK-based artist who is known for his works of political and social commentary which have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
In October 2018 once his painting titled “Baloon Girl” was offered to the highest bidder for £1.04m, the canvas passed through a shredder hidden within the frame, partially shredding the picture. For many, this was first-rate arrogance on the part of the artist and to an extent belittling the patrons of his art. But later it turned out to be a prank, a prank which had raised the price of the shredded painting by almost 50%.
An expression is a tool of an artist, a rational tool that is put to work by patrons of his art. Hence many chose to perceive it as a publicity stunt, many said it was fake while the rest chose to remain in a state of continual dismay. Individual perceptions had come under self-scrutiny, more so because art is also the syntax of an escapist. I feel an artist feels the heat when his body of work is used as an element of randomness, especially the ones which the artwork was never meant to address. This again rekindles the rebel in him to do something extraordinary. An extraordinary act where he can despise that part of the society who have caused a lot of agony to his astute and creative sensibilities. I believe these are the events that led to the Banksy affaire.
Connoisseurs of art looked up and their faces turned pale in absolute horror, as the £1.04m went down the shredder. The artist must have smiled in delight, sadism some might say, and rest would coin it as a return favor. An artist is an expressionist, even if he is doing something inconceivable, there is a reason for it. And given Banksy’s track record he would never indulge in anything that would be akin to suicide in professional terms.
But like I said, in the beginning, the fantastic thing about art is the way it tends to shape our conscious thought process (not to mention the business sense). Even when the piece went up in shreds it did not demonetize. The name of the shredded artwork changed to “Love is in the Bin” but it is still in a position to give an increased ROI of 50%. Sotheby’s was perhaps right in citing “Banksy didn’t destroy an artwork in the auction, he created one,” they called it “the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction.”