Results 1 to 2 of 2
  1. #1
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Mai Arse
    Posts
    12,339

    Australia's Banksy

    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

    Image caption,Scott Marsh's mural of Scott Morrison, who drew anger for holidaying in Hawaii during the bushfire crisis
    Graffiti artist Scott Marsh uses a quintessentially Australian trait to connect people to his political and often controversial works: larrikinism, the state of being disorderly and mischievous.

    "Once you make people laugh, you've got them. They engage," he tells the BBC.

    Recent works have satirised Prime Minister Scott Morrison holidaying in Hawaii at the height of Australia's bushfire crisis, or mocked up as Captain Cook, a commentary on the mood among some Australians
    to change the date of Australia Day to something less celebratory of colonial invasion.

    "Part of the Australian character for me anyway is being able to take the piss out of yourself first," Marsh says. That gives him permission, he says, to lampoon others - "either my mates, or politicians like the prime minister".

    But it was Marsh's depiction of Kanye West and George Michael that garnered him attention beyond Australia's shores.

    Viral platform


    It was reported in 2016 that American rapper Kanye West's management offered Marsh $100,000 (£53,000) to paint over the mural, Kanye loves Kanye, which - based on a meme - depicted the singer passionately kissing himself.

    Marsh will not comment on those reports, but says the work catapulted him into the international limelight.

    "It went mega viral," he says, adding that Australian expats sent him news clips in the Honduras Daily and a newspaper distributed on the Budapest metro.

    "It was super weird," he says.

    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

    Image caption,The mural depicting Kanye West kissing himself was later painted over
    The Saint George mural, painted later and depicting



    British singer George Michael as a religious figure in a rainbow scarf with drugs, was defaced by Christian Lives Matter, a group which protests at activities they deem blasphemous.

    Undeterred, Marsh gave the singer a "second coming" titled
    The Rise of Saint George, which inspired a theatre show.

    These murals were a result of happenstance: one a request by a fellow street artist, another by a couple for their house. But their success gave the artist something he was under-prepared for: a platform.

    He decided to use it to "actually say something," beginning with Casino Mike, a mural which satirised
    Sydney's lockout laws, which didn't apply to the city's juggernaut casino.

    "They basically shut down much of the city's nightlife in the name of safety," he says. "Lots of my mates lost their bar jobs."

    The controversial
    laws inspired other street artists to mock what they perceived as Sydney's nanny-statism.
    Shalom

  2. #2
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Home
    Posts
    33,542
    So Australia’s Banksy is Banksy minus the wit, originality and talent.

    It figures.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •