Introduction

The aim of this blog is to question the difference between street art and institutionalized art. We want to investigate what effect the location in which the artwork is viewed has on people's perceptions of that artwork. We were originally interested in this idea after learning about the ritual of museology as defined by Carol Duncan. As Duncan proposes within The Art Museum As Ritual, "in the liminal space of the museum, everything...may become art" (p.485). Outside the museum, however, there is no "hard and fast" definition of what is considered art.While outside the space of the museum, artists may seem to have more freedom to express themselves, this type of art is often considered illegal. Inside the museum, the audience's attention is directed at a particular selection and is "invited" to follow their rules. On the streets, viewers are not typically expecting to be confronted with images that they would consider art and they may be surprised and contemplate them at first, but once they know these images, they may become just one more object in their day by day lives.

To investigate this question, we took it upon ourselves to find some of Banksy's artwork on the streets of London. We felt especially intrigued by Banksy because he is an internationally well-known artist who is highly regarded for his street art and despite his reputation, his identity remains anonymous. Our thoughts on his work in comparison to works within museums will be expressed through this blog.

Yellow Line Flower Painting, Banksy, Bethnal Green, London

 

Posted by: Julia and Maddy