Two local artists in Glasgow have come forward to claim responsibility for the recent appearance of a faux Banksy street art in the city. The artwork emerged shortly after Banksy’s “Cut & Run” exhibition opened at the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, leading some to believe that the renowned street artist was adding urban additions to his show. However, it has now been revealed that the knockoff artwork was actually an experiment by Glaswegian artists Ciaran Globel and Conzo Throb.
Globel and Throb painted a rat, one of Banksy’s recurring subjects, on the side of a building on Buchanan Street, one of Glasgow’s main thoroughfares. The rat was depicted banging on a drum with a mallet in a marching band style. The drumhead featured a punctured hole with the words “God Save The King” printed around it, while the rat’s tail was caught in a mousetrap with a tabloid newspaper as bait.
The artwork was meticulously created to closely resemble Banksy’s style, with the artists studying his past and current work in order to make their homage seem authentic. They wanted to convincingly replicate Banksy’s approach while adding their own twist to it. The duo even posted a step-by-step process of their work on Instagram, showcasing their dedication to the project.
The artists’ experiment aimed to observe how people would react to a work that appeared to have high value on the street. As expected, the faux Banksy quickly gained attention and went viral. However, once the truth behind the artwork was revealed and the artists came forward, public opinion shifted. The perceived value of the piece diminished, both monetarily and artistically.
“It’s there for all to see that as soon as it was decided it wasn’t a Banksy, it lost all value whether monetary or artistically. It then ceased to have any value, and it was then at that point just an eyesore to the council,” explained Throb.
The Glasgow City Council has partially painted over the artwork and stated that it should be removed. A spokesperson for the council advised anyone seeking an authentic Banksy experience to visit the exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art.
The experiment by Globel and Throb highlights the phenomenon of the perceived value attached to Banksy’s work and the public’s fascination with his art. It also raises questions about the nature of authenticity, artistic interpretation, and the influence of well-known artists on the art world.
While the faux Banksy may have lost its initial allure, the project succeeded in provoking thought and sparking conversations about the nature of street art, its reception, and the power of a name.
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