If you feel dirty, insignificant or unloved, then rats are a good role model. They exist without permission, they have no respect for the hierarchy of society, and they have sex 50 times a day.
BanksyRead
It's a very frustrated feeling you get when the only people with good photos of you work are the police department.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses frustration about how one's artistic work is recognized mainly in a negative context by authorities.
Banksy's quote highlights the irony and frustration that can arise when an artist's best and most impactful works are documented or appreciated primarily by the authorities, particularly in situations where such works are seen as subversive or controversial. This points to the broader theme of how society often recognizes and reacts to art, especially when it challenges the status quo or prompts critical reflection.
Themes
FrustrationArtRecognitionSocietyAuthority
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in an art exhibition to provoke discussion on how society views street art.
More from Banksy
All quotes →T.V. has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting but graffiti has remained gloriously unspoilt by progress.
BanksyRead
I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I'm not sure I like it enough.
BanksyRead
Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; "I'll meet you in that pub, you know, the one opposite that wall with a picture of a monkey holding a chainsaw". I mean, how much more useful can a painting be than that?
BanksyRead
Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a f**king sharp knife to it.
BanksyRead
Gaza is often described as 'the world's largest open air prison' because no-one is allowed to enter or leave. But that seems a bit unfair to prisons - they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.
BanksyRead
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