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From the MOCA blog:

The Museum of Contemporary Art announces today that British artist Banksy will sponsor free admission at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA every Monday for the duration of Art in the Streets.

“I don’t think you should have to pay to look at graffiti. You should only pay if you want to get rid of it,” said Banksy.

ART IN THE STREETS
FREE MONDAYS AT MOCA
COURTESY OF BANKSY
June 13–August 8, 2011

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Banksy Film | Via: Here & Here

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Here it is in action:

Banksy | Via

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The man’s been busy.  More work spotted in Seattle, Chicago, and Detroit.  See them here.

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Bobby Hundreds from LA’s infamous lifestyle project The Hundreds went to work last night at Banksy’s “Exit Through The Gift Shop” premiere in LA.  Per usual, it’s chock-filled with great photos and insightful commentary.  Click the picture to see the full post.

Banksy’s “Exit Through The Gift Shop” debuts at a secret location in LA today. He’s obviously in town for the screening.

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From Banksy Film:

Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. As Banksy describes it, Its basically the story of how one man set out to film the un—filmable. And failed.

Can’t wait to see this.  Film dates/locations here.

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“People who enjoy waving flags don’t deserve to have one.” – Banksy

“A lot of people never use their initiative because nobody told them to.”

- Banksy, “Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall”

People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.

- Banksy, “Brandalism”, Cut It Out

“The greatest crimes in the world are not commited by people breaking
the rules but by people following the rules. It’s people who follow
orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.

As a precaution to ever committing major acts of evil it is our solemn
duty never to do what we’re told, this is the only way we can be sure.”

- Banksy

“Only When the last tree
Has been cut down
And the last river
Has dried to a trickle
Will man finally realise
That we cannot eat money
And reciting old proverbs
Makes you sound like a twat”

- Banksy, “Wall And Piece”

“Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a great and glorious nation. Favourite amongst his subjects was the court painter of whom he was very proud. Everybody agreed this wizzened old man pianted the greatest pictures in the whole kingdom and the king would spend hours each day gazing at them in wonder.

However, one day a dirty and dishevelled stranger presented himself at the court claiming that in fact he was the greatest painter in the land. The indignant king decreed a competition would be held between the two artists, confident it would teach the vagabond an embarrassing lesson. Within a month they were both to produce a masterpiece that would out do the other.

After thirty days of working feverishly day and night, both artists were ready. They placed their paintings, each hidden by a cloth, on easels in the great hall of the castle. As a large crowd gathered, the king ordered the cloth be pulled first from the court artist’s easel. Everyone gasped as before them was revealed a wonderful oil painting of a table set with a feast. At its centre was an ornate bowl full of exotic fruits glistening moistly in the dawn light. As the crowd gazed admiringly, a sparrow perched high up on the rafters of the hall swooped down and hungrily tried to snatch one of the grapes from the painted bowl only to hit the canvas and fall down dead with shock at the feet of the king.

’Aha!’ exclaimed the king. ’My artist has produced a painting so wonderful it has fooled nature herself, surely you must agree that he is the greatest painter who ever lived!’ But the vagabond said nothing and stared solemnly at his feet. ’Now, pull the blanket from your painting and let us see what you have for us,’ cried the king. But the tramp remained motionless and said nothing. Growing impatient, the king stepped forward and reached out to grab the blanket only to freeze in horror at the last moment.

’You see,’ said the tramp quietly, ’there is no blanket covering the painting. This is actually just a painting of a cloth covering a painting. And whereas your famous artist is content to fool nature, I’ve made the king of the whole country look like a clueless little twat.”

- Banksy, “Wall And Piece”