Bankable graffitti

A Banksy in Clipstone Street, Fitzrovia. Yet another piece of graffiti protected by a sheet of perspex. I can only assume the owner of the building will try and save the piece once the building is finally knocked down.

Someone has laid a union jack mat in front of the piece, as if to epitomise the new found respectability this collectible piece of insurrection has achieved. The subversive message has become conventional, desirable and preserving it shows just how tolerant and stoic we all are. Someone is also aware of ‘looking a gift horse in the mouth’ and knows how to turn a piece of graffiti into a quick buck.

I would rather a time when this type of work appeared overnight and then vanished. Preserving it in perspex, just to earn a few quid, is not what it’s about.

The revolution may not be televised but it may end up being preserved for posterity. But only if the price is right.