One nation under CCTV 2008

Banksy made this statement about modern surveillance with spray paint, stencils and a ladder, directly onto the wall of a building, somewhere around 2007. The white stencil letters are bold and blocky, and they push against the rough surface of the wall, a surface that already has its own history of stains, marks and weather. I like the little drips under each letter, because that’s real, right? That’s the paint saying “I’m here, I’m wet, I’m not perfect.” It makes the work feel immediate, like the artist just finished and ran away. There’s a smaller figure up on the ladder, touching up the lettering with a roller. I wonder if that second figure is Banksy commenting on his own process? Or is he suggesting we all have a hand in this culture of surveillance? Banksy reminds me a little of Jenny Holzer, another artist who uses words to make us think about the world we live in. But where Holzer is slick and techy, Banksy is all punk rock. Neither offers any easy answers, though, and that’s how it should be.