Banksy

Yep!

The Council said he's welcome to return.

Hope he does! They need shaking up.

I lived in Clacton on seas from the age of 10 - 23- most things there are dead or dying.

How sad

DH worked at the council there for a while - he said that was a living death.

Pathetic! story here

actually, this is the fuller version of the story

I'm on the fence/wall/wire over this one

"Nigel Brown, communications manager for Tendring district council, said it had received a complaint on Tuesday..."

A complaint? Just one, then

I visited Clacton once. I think it was shut.
I admire all Banksy's work.

They sent a local news reporter to the wall in question and it had already been sprayed with offensive graffiti. I thought the Banksy was fabulous - surely they could have just blanked out the wording if it was deemed offensive.

Wouldn't be much point without the wording!

That is a dreadful article!

A grumpy gang of grey pigeons aim their outrage at a beautiful green migratory swallow.

The contrast between the ugly pigeons and the pretty swallow could hardly be starker or more telling.

Clearly, the African swallow is not a threat but an enriching presence. It’s the “locals” who are grim.

So anyone who is concerned about the levels of immigrants (regardless of skin colour) can be immediately classified as grumpy, grey, ugly and grim? And every immigrant is 'pretty' and 'enriching'?

This is the best Banksy I have never seen: a clever and succinct satire on some currents of feeling in contemporary Britain, terrified of “migrants”, menaced by otherness. Far from being by any stretch of the imagination “racist”, it is – was – a witty putdown of the drab, dour vision of Britain touted by those who would push down diversity and hold back the tide of modern human movement.

Silly me then - I thought most of the comments regarding immigration were about not overloading the country with a population it can't cope with or support; must have got that wrong - there clearly isn't a job shortage, no housing shortage, no problem with getting appointments to see doctors, dentists, schools have been less than truthful saying that their class sizes are at maximum ...

It's still a great Banksy.

1) I expect Clacton council sent some anti-vandalism workers to remove the "racist graffiti" and the workers didn't know about Banksy so just did what they had been told to do
2) It reminds me of Alf Garnett (Till Death Us Do Part, 60s & 70s) and Al the pub landlord - people aren't always sure of the tone when racism is depicted and sometimes think the creator is being racist - when I was a child I didn't understand that we were meant to laugh at Alf Garnett, I thought people were appreciating his remarks
3) I suppose it is offensive to the people of Clacton to imply they are racist
4) The article mentions another recent Banksy in Folkestone :

"The piece, called "Art Buff", depicts an older woman staring at an empty plinth while wearing headphones with her hands clasped behind her back."

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/new-banksy-mural-appears-in-folkestone-9764753.html

I am not sure how to take 'Art Buff' - what do people think?

HollyDaze sorry I see I have confused racism and anti-immigration and I do take your point that these are different things which tend to get blurred together. Sometimes they overlap, hence the confusion.

An article arguing that the council was right to treat Banksy's work like any other graffiti and that it merely reinforced people's views rather than encourage them to think more deeply about things.

Gordon Bennett! Has someone been over-thinking it a little bit? (article)

Well jingl the author's job title is British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at University College London, so you could argue that it's his job to think!

The council did not think though. How much could they have sold it for?

At least a tenner off everyone's council tax next year. Would definitely have paid for a few seats on the sea front.

Has anyone got any views on Banksy's 'Art Buff' ? (I asked this a few posts ago but the thread moved on and I'm trying not to sulk still wondering what people think of it.....)

"The piece, called "Art Buff", depicts an older woman staring at an empty plinth while wearing headphones with her hands clasped behind her back."

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/new-banksy-mural-appears-in-folkestone-9764753.html

Why has he chosen an older woman?

Sorry Starling. I didn't really 'get' it, that's why I didn't comment.
I didn't get the significance of the empty plinth, I didn't get the significance of the headphones, I didn't get why he depicted an older woman.

Looking at it again, I wonder if the woman is supposed to be the Queen, and if so, what the signiificance of that might be.

Perhaps one of the Banksy fans might explain it for me

I don't know why it's an older woman, and I don't get the significance of the earphones either.

I did read somewhere that the grey wash effect behind the plinth was supposed to represent the removal of either the graffiti or the original painting. Not really bothered, to be honest.

Normally I can see the point of what he is depicting
but this looks to me as though he is just using the woman to depict people who have no appreciation of art, who passively listen to audio guides and can't even notice if the plinth is empty.
In which case I should feel angry - but his art is usually witty, talented, original, provocative, hard-hitting - am I missing something or has he gone ageist and sexist?