NEWS///STREET LIFE///BANKSY PAINTS NEW ORLEANS AS KATRINA MEMORIAL

August 29th, 2008

banksykatrina19.jpg
Banksy’s art & life intersect in the lower ninth ward…

One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” However, the Bristol Bomber seemed to feel some pangs of regret in his action when he added, “…I wanted to highlight the state of the clean-up operation. Only later did it dawn on me that if you choose to do this by drawing all over their stuff, you’re actually only slowing down that clean-up operation.” Of course, in the art world, timing is everything, and as the roving stencil demigod wraps up his project, the city braces for the onslaught of oncoming tropical storm Gustav which threatens to again devestate the slowly healing city. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK:

banksykatrina1.jpg

“I looked out the window of the taxi on the drive into New Orleans and remarked, ‘There’s still so much devastation, I can’t believe they haven’t cleaned this mess up,’ to which the driver stared at me and said, ‘This part of the city wasn’t affected by the hurricane, its always looked like this.’” —BANKSY

banksykatrina9.jpg

banksykatrina203.jpg

banksykatrina207.jpg

banksykatrina11.jpg

banksykatrina10.jpg

banksybama1.jpg

banksynola9.jpg

banksykatrina29.jpg

banksykatrina6.jpg

banksykatrina30.jpg

banksynola6.jpg

banksynola1.jpg

banksykatrina31.jpg

banksykatrina18.jpg

banksykatrina4.jpg

“I came to New Orleans to do battle with the Gray Ghost, a notorious vigilante who’s been systematically painting over any graffiti he can find with the same shade of gray paint since 1997. Consequently, he’s done more damage to the culture of the city than any section five hurricane could ever hope to achieve.” —BANKSY

banksykkk2.jpg

banksykkk4.jpg

banksykatrina201.jpg

banksykatrina202.jpg

banksykatrina28.jpg

banksykatrina206.jpg

banksynola11.jpg

banksybama2.jpg

banksykatrina13.jpg

banksykatrina3.jpg

banksynola10.jpg

banksykatrina14.jpg

banksykatrina2.jpg

banksykatrina25.jpg

banksynola13.jpg

banksykatrina26.jpg

banksykatrina205.jpg

banksynola15.jpg

banksykatrina24.jpg

banksynola7.jpg

banksynola8.jpg

banksykatrina23.jpg

banksynola2.jpg

banksykatrina22.jpg

banksynola14.jpg

marchingband.jpg

banksykatrina17.jpg

banksykatrina19.jpg

banksykatrina204.jpg

banksynola3.jpg

banksykatrina27.jpg

banksynola5.jpg

banksykatrina7.jpg
After a long week of stencil spraying, a decidedly unmasked Banksy kicks back on Burbon Street with a hand grenade and a smile…

POSTED BY J O'Shea/Editor

5 Responses to “NEWS///STREET LIFE///BANKSY PAINTS NEW ORLEANS AS KATRINA MEMORIAL”

  1. SuperTouch » Blog Archive » STREET POLITIKKKS///BANKSY’S KKK MEMBERSHIP REVOKED IN ALABAMA Says:

    [...] One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” In the art world, timing is everything, and as the anonymous bomber wraps up his project, the city once again braces for the onslaught of an oncoming tropical storm. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK: Read Full Article [...]

  2. SuperTouch » Blog Archive » NEWS///STREET LIFE///NEW ORLEANS FLOODING WASHES OUT BANKSY Says:

    [...] One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” In the art world, timing is everything, and as the anonymous bomber wraps up his project, the city once again braces for the onslaught of an oncoming tropical storm. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK: Read Full Article [...]

  3. SuperTouch » Blog Archive » NEWS///ART CRIMES///BANKSY NOLA ART STARTS DISAPPEARING Says:

    [...] One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” In the art world, timing is everything, and as the anonymous bomber wraps up his project, the city once again braces for the onslaught of an oncoming tropical storm. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK: Read Full Article [...]

  4. SuperTouch » Blog Archive » NEWS///STREET LIFE///MORE BANKSY ART GOES MISSING IN NEW ORLEANS Says:

    [...] One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” In the art world, timing is everything, and as the anonymous bomber wraps up his project, the city once again braces for the onslaught of an oncoming tropical storm. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK: Read Full Article [...]

  5. SuperTouch » Blog Archive » NEWS///STREET LIFE///BANKSY DISAPPEARING FROM NEW ORLEANS FAST Says:

    [...] One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” In the art world, timing is everything, and as the anonymous bomber wraps up his project, the city once again braces for the onslaught of an oncoming tropical storm. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK: Read Full Article [...]

Leave a Reply

Exclusive

Features

MOCA’S “COLLECTION: THE FIRST THIRTY YEARS” PROVES THE MUSEUM SHOULD BE AROUND FOR 30 MORE

ScreeRRn shot 2010-02-03 at 2.55.18 PM
Despite MOCA’s financial woes of late and near collapse last year amid the chaos of the economic holocaust, the veritable Southland institution seems on to a bright future now, having secured ST buddy JEFFREY DEITCH as its new director (starting June 1) and financial security (for the moment). If ever there was a time to celebrate, it is now. HAVE A LOOK:

Read Full Article

FEATURE///IN THE STUDIO WITH SHEPARD FAIREY AS HE PREPARES FOR DEITCH GALLERY’S CLOSING SHOW

SHEPVRRISIT1
By now it’s no secret that JEFFREY DEITCH is closing shop in downtown NYC to head West for the sunnier confines of the MoCA Director’s office, starting June 1st. That leaves SHEPARD FAIREY’s upcoming portrait show as the farewell exhibition at one of the city’s most legendary and influential commercial art institutions in the city’s history.

Read Full Article

UKRAINE///FIRST LOOK: DAMIEN HIRST’S “REQUIEM” CAREER RETROSPECTIVE AT THE PINCHUK ART CENTER

hirstkievsmall
Last weekend saw the DAMIEN HIRST’s first grand spectacle of 2009 when his daunting career retrospective “Requiem” opened at the PINCHUK ART CENTER in the unlikely city of Kiev, Ukraine. Not exactly known as an epicenter of fine art (unless you count the Ukrainian girls, that is), resident steel billionaire and obsessed Hirst collector VICTOR PINCHUK aims to change that by launching the epic visual spectacle that includes over 100 works (a vast amount of which came from Pinchuk’s private collection) by the British artist from 1998 – 2008 in his own privately funded art palace that holds the title as the largest private museum in the former Soviet Union. The fact that this grandiose show of power comes at a time when…

Read Full Article

NEWS///RIP///IN LOVING MEMORY OF PHOTOGRAPHER SHAWN MORTENSEN 1966—2009

shawnmortripppt1
It is truly with a heavy heart that we must break the news that one of Supertouch’s dear friends, photographer SHAWN MORTENSEN, passed away last nite. A kinetic force of optimism and seemingly limitless positive energy, Shawn’s hearty career as a photojournalist and artist took him around the world several times over, unselfishly spreading his endless supply of good vibes as he went. Particularly renowned for his portraits of musicians, artists, and entertainers, Shawn photographed a stunning array of pop culture demigods in his 20+ year career including…

Read Full Article

BEVERLY HILLS///JOHN WATERS BRINGS “REAR PROJECTION” TO HOLLYWOOD

jjjwaterssgagg1
As a director of some of the most acclaimed highbrow B-movies of all time, Supertouch amigo JOHN WATERS needs no further introduction. Quietly working the night shift as a fine artist for years now, the Baltimore-bound obsessive’s hard work has finally landed him a spot in the most hallowed hall of the modern art world, namely, the GAGOSIAN GALLERY, where the artist’s solo “Rear Projection” show opened to a throng of Hollywood players, weirdos, fanboys and girls, and well-wishing lookie-loos on Saturday nite. Comprised largely of C-prints of photos Waters has taken of TV screens bearing his favorite stills from movies of all kinds, the works pulse with the raw humor and dry wit that is Waters’ hallmark…

Read Full Article