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Photo: New Banksy Piece Goes Up In The South Bronx
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 21, 2013
Modified Oct 21, 2013
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 21, 2013
Modified Oct 21, 2013
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Banksy's 21st piece in his month long open air residency—Better Out Than In—has just gone up, and it's in the South Bronx. The piece features a butler bringing a boy spray cans, and says "Ghetto 4 Life." When we find exact coordinates we'll update.
This is the second time Banksy has hit the South Bronx—last week his Ronald McDonald statue made its official debut there (though the day before it had already appeared in Brooklyn).
UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: The piece is at 153rd Street and Elton Avenue.
And three new blue tags have been added to the wall (none are touching the piece however). And a small crowd is starting to build.
UPDATE, 12:40 p.m.: The shop owners are on the scene, and they asked if we knew anyone who could help cover or preserve it. Let us know if you want to help! They are currently trying to get a hold of the building owner.
UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: Ed Garcia Conde, who runs Welcome2TheBronx tells us, "I have mixed feelings about his choice of words...Ghetto 4 Life? What exactly is he saying here? Several residents have expressed similar concerns. Our neighborhood is filled with so much art and culture, murals and graf and no one really comes to experience it so it's disappointing to see so many sheep flocking over because it's supposedly 'hip.'"
Our own Jake Dobkin says, "Today I will give Banksy the benefit of the doubt, and assume he's commenting on the appropriation of street culture (graffiti, hip-hop, skateboarding, etc) by brands and wealthy individuals. His joke is not about the culture of the ghetto, but about the privileged people who think they're experts on it. My guess is he'd include himself in that group, as well as graffiti commentators in the press. But like all Banksy works, this one has a little sand in the vaseline, since he did put this message up in the South Bronx, where it was likely to be seen and misunderstood—that is, even though he knows it's a dick move for a rich white person from Britain to appropriate graffiti culture in poor neighborhoods, he goes right ahead and does it anyway because he thinks it's funny. That's Banksy for you!"
Tagged
banksy
better out than in
South Bronx
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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