Banksy’s Crayola Shooter was removed from the Urban Outfitters wall a few days ago. Singer Pia Mia was the first to notify sources of the change, a decision made by the building owner. Now all that remains of the stencil is a swath of flawless, sea-green paint.
After the initial shell-shock of the news, I realized I was actually glad for it to go.
Graffiti is all about reactions. It disrupts the normalcy of an everyday scene, jutting out from a wall and grasping your attention. It makes you look twice and think about familiarized issues and the space in a new way. And then it’s gone.
Several months ago, Banksy left his mark in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Passersby could see an elderly man stenciled in black and white, holding a stethoscope up to a peace symbol and heart symbol spray painted red. When I chanced upon it, the work was protected by a thick plastic sheet, warding away vandals and street maintenance. A sign taped next to it read in both Chinese and English: “This is a historic artwork by Banksy to promote his new film. It is not graffiti. Do not erase it.”
The wall of that random wok shop probably still depicts the same balding man, unmistakably in Banksy’s deliberate style. But the meaning of the work has changed. It has been commoditized, meant to be enjoyed by the public but not actively thought about. It has become part of the wall.
In his Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy scoffs at the growing hype surrounding street art. To him, auctioning off graffiti that has been carefully cut out of the original wall it was painted on is silly.
Yes, it is OK to lament the fact that the “Crayola Shooter” is gone. However, erasing the art gives it meaning. And now, the Urban Outfitters wall is again a blank canvas.
What do you think? Was it time for Banksy to go or do you think it was wrong to have the “Crayola Shooter” painted over?