‘Banksy Does New York’ chronicles the month-long residence that the pseudonymous British street artist, political activist, painter and film director, from Bristol, England, known as ‘Banksy’ (Exit Through the Gift Shop), displayed throughout the city of New York last October, 2013.
For those who don’t know Banksy, no one has ever seen him before. His fans want to be the first to find his work, the police want to catch him in the act, and the collectors want to display his work in galleries. So, last October s/he and his team, Pest Control, and Holly Cushing announced that the graffiti street artist would display one piece of art somewhere within the five boroughs, one a day for the entire month of October, 2013.
One piece of art work per day in an undisclosed place around New York, he eluded to where they might be via social media, which sent his followers on a scavenger hunt frenzy, as they hoped to be the first to arrive, meanwhile, filmmakers filmed or requested footage from others, often times, bringing out the best, and sometimes the worst in people.
Act fast, catch him if you can, because, many times, the works were painted over a few hours later, since his canvas was private property. He not only spray painted during the 30 day stint, but also showed video clips, displayed a skeleton sitting in a bumper car, a Sphinx made from rocks, and gimmicks, ie. having a salesman sell his work at a kiosk near the Metropolitan Museum for only $60.00, making only $420.00 for the day, meanwhile unsuspecting customers found out later that the art they purchased was worth $250,000 each. He held auctions with one of his works raising $615,000 for the Housing Works, and, of course, there was the occasional entrepreneur or con artist covering his works with a cardboard box and asking spectators for $5.00 to snap a photo of it.
Day 1: LES: Allen Street, 4 hours later, it was painted over.
Day 2: Chelsea: 25th Street and 10th Ave
Day 3: Chelsea: 24th and 6th Ave
Bushwick, Brooklyn, St. Mark’s Place, Lower East Side, Ludlow, ‘Crazy Horse’ painting depicting the 2 journalists and 4 Iraqi civilians killed in the Iraq War, East NY, Brooklyn, 5 Pointz Queens, 45-46 Davis Street, 69th/38 St in Astoria, Jay and Staple Street in Tribeca, Cook Street near Graham Avenue in Bushwick, 7th and Cooper Square in the East Village, West 51st Street/12th Avenue, Elizabeth and Houston, 24th and 10th Avenue Chelsea, Staten Island, 79th and Broadway in UWS, South Bronx, 456 East 153rd Street, Flushing Queens, Willet’s Point, 127th and 35th Ave, the Sphinx made out of a pile of rocks, 157 East 23rd Street, Sunset Park Brooklyn, Greenpoint Ave and Noble Street, Coney Island 2812 Stillwell Avenue, Gramercy Park, East 162nd and Jerome, and LIC, 35th Street in LIC, Queens near the LI Expressway.
His message: ‘Save Five Points.’
Unfortunately, however, it is too late to be saved.
One World Cinema
ABELLA Sharon 
