Shereen Ayub

Rhetorical Analysis 2

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/aug/05/israel.artsnews

     While a popular thought against graffiti artists is that their work portrays merely an act of vandalism to cities, British guerilla graffiti artist Banksy twists this medium of art and uses it as a tool to raise questions about various social and political issues. Banksy's graffiti images on the Israeli side of the West Bank wall, while not overly political, are clear portraits of the artist's feelings toward the barrier. The main issue that Banksy strives to reverberate in the minds of many is if the wall is a legitimate barrier. His sentiment towards the wall are apparent in his statement:

     "The Israeli government is building a wall surrounding the occupied Palestinian territories. It stands three times the height of the Berlin Wall and will eventually run for over 700km - the distance from London to Zurich. The wall is illegal under international law and essentially turns Palestine into the world's largest open prison."

     This ideology is clearly seen through the nine images on the wall. In one image, two young boys with paint cans paint an image of a beach through a hole in the wall, portraying the Palestinian side to be a place of paradise. In another, he creates a segment of the wall to appear like a living room, with a window that also looks out to the paradise on the other side. These two images in particular are especially controversial with the Israeli people, as they do not want to see the other side as a land of paradise. To the Israelis, they view the Palestinian side as their rightful holy land and many do not want to share it with the Palestinians. By creating these two images as favorable to the other side, Banksy displays his feelings to the wall and accomplishes his goal of striking up the ethical issue of the existence of the wall. The wall has always been seen as a divide between two people who truly are not so ethnically different. Banksy understands this and his effort to show to the Israeli people this idea is seen in the pleasant appeal of the images. Banksy strives to strike the inner emotions of the Israeli people, and to see how breaking down the barrier would allow for the collusion of peace and harmony. In addition, the two boys in the images could be seen to be brothers, representative of Palestine and Israel. Representing the two territories as brothers playing at the beach shows how they lands are interconnected and must be brought back together in order for each to find paradise.

     The location of the images is just as important as the graffiti themselves. First of all, the West Bank wall is a symbol of the ongoing divide between the Israelis and Palestinians. If these exact images were placed anywhere else, the meaning and opinions of the images would not be as big of an impact. A local Israeli man who stopped to talk to Banksy told the artist that the work was beautiful. After Banksy thanked him, the man said, "we don't want it to be beautiful, we hate this wall. Go home." This reaction shows the magnitude on the people of not only the images, but of the wall itself and how this exterior creation will forever be a part of their lives as a negative symbol. The fact that artwork has been painted on the wall molds the wall as exactly the opposite of its intention as a sign of negativity. Now, the people can walk by and look at the wall, stirring up new and different feelings that they may have not felt prior to the work of Banksy.

Also, not only is the location of the images seen as a political statement, but Banksy also saw the wall as "the ultimate activity holiday destination for graffiti writers." Banksy not only saw this opportunity to paint on the wall as a way of stirring debates about the West Bank barrier, but as a way to further exercise his creativity and to show to other graffiti artists that they can find artistic influence anywhere. Banksy is a representative of the artists' world, and the work he does and where he does it is a big influence on other aspiring artists. By painting controversial images in one of the most controversial lands today, he is showing that art can make a difference in the way people think and how they change their lives. Banksy makes a bold move in creating the nine images on the West Bank wall in order to establish his viewpoint of the wall as well as exercise his work as a graffiti artist, and in doing so successfully captures the thoughts and emotions of many.