F E A T U R E S         T H O U G H T S         R E V I E W S         N E W S         e v e n t s         d i r e c t o r y World's Top Graffiti Artist on Display in Southampton By Tiffany Razzano One of the contemporary art world's best-known artists actually isn't known at all. Banksy, an incredibly witty, guerilla graffiti artist from Britain - and one of the hottest commodities in the art world today - works very hard to remain anonymous. That's quite a feat in a world that lives and breathes by what's written in the tabloids and the work of the paparazzi, making anonymity seem pretty impossible. And now some of Banksy's work can be seen on Long Island, at Keszler Gallery in Southampton, located at 45 Main Street. Banksy's art, ripe with politically charged, social commentary, is always satirical. He tackles issues such as capitalism and police brutality, as well as pollution and pro-war policies. He borrows from other works of art and iconic images, and some of his more common motifs include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers and children. Who else would take a well-known image of a napalmed Vietnamese girl and portray her running hand-in-hand with Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald? He strikes when least expected, most often decorating public property with his signature wit and style (unfortunately, his work is regularly erased by public authorities. And this brings up another key reason he remains anonymous: he's likely wanted by police in various British cities, possibly even other countries). He subversively hung his own version of a primitive cave painting in the British Museum (it was removed, and then later added to the museum's permanent collection). In 2005, he hit New York museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum, in similar fashions. He even found his way to the West Bank. On the Palestinian side of the wall separating Palestine from Israel, Banksy painted the silhouette of a little girl clutching a bouquet of balloons, rising through the air, obviously about to be lifted above the wall. And as anti-establishment as he is, his work is now being accepted by the mainstream art scene. He's compared to other innovators such as Warhol and Basquiat, and Banksy's work sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Keszler gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as by appointment. You can reach them at 631-204-0353. Published June 1, 2008   Perpetual Toxins © 2006-2008. All rights reserved. c o n t a c t s / c r e d i t s     c o n t r i b u t e