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MY SCRIBBLE QUIBBLE

By Dave Loftus ⋅ April 12, 2008 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Since Liverpool Council backed down over removing Banksy’s giant rat mural on Berry Street, I have noticed more and more of his stencilled handiwork tucked in doorways and adorning formerly blank walls. In his book Wall and Piece the pseudo-anonymous Banksy praises graffiti and argues that stuffy authority figures deem it unworthy of existence because they don’t understand the artistic merit and soaring freedom that daubing walls brings. While mostly true, I think he makes a fundamental flaw here. Let’s be honest, 99% of graffiti is downright rubbish- either inscrutable squiggles, random initials, tiresome football references or obscene messages with a surely involuntary phone number attached. Passing the now-saved Berry Street Rat I noticed that in a tiny corner of the huge picture, some pen-wielding moron has scrawled ‘FUK BANKSY’. Well done you. Although making his mark as all graffitists do, this example succeeds only in highlighting the stupidity and unoriginality that councils nationwide expect to be lurking inside everyone, thus leading to graffiti’s eradication. It’s just a shame that only a handful tackle the art with as much wit, poignancy or basic entertainment value as the man who has now become their invisible figurehead.