I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in – like peace and justice and freedom.
BANKSYI know street art can feel increasingly like the marketing wing of an art career, so I wanted to make some art without the price tag attached. There’s no gallery show or book or film. It’s pointless. Which hopefully means something.
More Banksy Quotes
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I’d been painting rats for three years before someone said ‘that’s clever it’s an anagram of art’ and I had to pretend I’d known that all along.
BANKSY -
My lawyer’s opinion is that the cops might not actually be able to charge me with criminal damage any more – because theoretically my graffiti actually increases the value of property rather than decreasing it. That’s his theory, but then my lawyer also believes wearing novelty cartoon ties is a good look.
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Sometimes I feel so sick at the state of the world I can’t even finish my second apple pie.
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Anyone who believes in capital punishment should be shot
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Become good at cheating and you never need to become good at anything else.
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The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It’s people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.
BANKSY -
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don’t do that so much anymore.
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I love the way capitalism finds a place – even for its enemies.
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When you go to an art gallery you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires.
BANKSY -
I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.
BANKSY -
A wall is a very big weapon. It’s one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.
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I need someone to protect me from all the measures they take in order to protect me.
BANKSY -
I just wanna make the world a better-looking place. If you don’t like it, you can paint over it!
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The one thing you can rely on is if you get disturbed halfway through a painting and it looks a bit naff, then someone will preserve that piece, remove it and a few months later it’ll be paraded round Sotheby’s by people wearing white gloves.
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I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I’m not sure I like it enough.
BANKSY