All Columns in Alphabetical Order


Thursday, November 13, 2014

BANKSY DOES NEW YORK, A USER-GENERATED CHRONICLE OF THE FAMED STREET ARTIST’S 31 DAYS IN NEW YORK CITY, DEBUTS NOVEMBER 17, 2014 EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

For over 30 years, Stribling and Associates has represented high-end residential real estate, specializing in the sale and rental of townhouses, condos, co-ops, and lofts throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and around the globe. Stribling has more than 200 professional brokers who use their respected expertise to provide personalized service to buyers and sellers at all price levels. A separate division, Stribling Private Brokerage, discreetly markets properties over $5 million, and commands a significant market share in this rarified sector of residential real estate. Stribling is the exclusive New York City affiliate of Savills, a leading global real estate advisor with over 200 office in 48 countries. 




Check out their listings:


Whom You Know Congratulates their new President, Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan: http://www.whomyouknow.com/2012/12/breaking-manhattan-real-estate-news.html

Featured in Image: Steven Keszler
Photo Credit: Mai Iskander/Courtesy of HBO

Banksy may be highly controversial, however, we all can agree on his ability to rouse the curiosity of many!  HBO Documentaries has produced another stellar show, and this time it aptly chronicles the treasure hunt phenomenon that captured all of New York City in the fall of 2013.  HBO reveals what happened better than any other media outlet.  Banksy's mysterious, anonymous aura and his work that is the epitome of unique has earned over $1 million and boasts collectors like Jolie/Pitt.  Starting with Day One on the Lower East side, this superbly executed story shows how not only does Banksy have mass appeal that cuts across class and culture but also it has a shelf life that expires in hours.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Banksy also showed how art is hugely affected by social media, and the effects of social media added beaucoup de fuel to the Banksy fire, and there was even an audio guide.  The one we found funniest is the dog/fire hydrant with "You Complete Me."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

This is the perfect way to see what happened without going to every dark corner Banksy picked, because no one tells a story like HBO.  This answers the questions of who is Banksy and what went on during this time in New York.  For everyone that reads Whom You Know for culinary reasons, you should know that Eli Zabar is part of this documentary.  Mayor Bloomberg is included, and we side with his opinions stated.  
Though we are completely against graffiti in all forms and hope we appeal to the Highest Common Denominator always, we are all about being curious, and our curiosity won here.
You'll be captivated too.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Interesting.
Unique.
Special.
Witty.
Banksy Does New York is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!



Photo Credit: Karim Raoul/Courtesy of HBO


On Oct. 1, 2013, the elusive British street artist known as Banksy launched a self-proclaimed month-long residency in New York City, posting one unique exhibit a day in an unannounced location, sparking a 31-day scavenger hunt both online and on the streets for Banksy’s work. 

Capturing this month of madness, BANKSY DOES NEW YORK incorporates user-generated content, from YouTube videos to Instagram photos, from New Yorkers and Banksy hunters alike, whose responses became part of the work itself, for an exhilarating, detailed account of the uproar created by the mysterious artist. Directed by New York filmmaker Chris Moukarbel (HBO’s “Me @The Zoo”), the spirited documentary debuts MONDAY, NOV. 17 (9:00-10:20 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 17 (5:20 a.m.), 20 (10:15 a.m., 4:30 p.m.), 23 (2:00 p.m.) and 25 (1:30 p.m.), and Dec. 6 (11:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Nov. 26 (8:30 p.m.) and 29 (7:45 a.m.), and Dec. 15 (5:00 p.m.), 17 (11:15 a.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 29 (1:30 p.m.)

With installations spanning all five boroughs of New York City, and including a mix of stencil graffiti, sculpture, video and performance art, Banksy touched on such wide-ranging subjects as fast-food wages, animal cruelty in the meat industry, civilian casualties in Iraq and the hypocrisy of the modern art world. Daily News reporter Beth Stebner, who covered Banksy’s residency, was struck by the wide array of people drawn to his work, noting, “You had art students, you had plumbers, you had gallery owners. It just brought New Yorkers out.”

A pair of Banksy hunters and dog walkers using the handle @twowaytraffic chronicled their month-long search on camera, while Stephan Kezler, owner of a Southampton gallery that buys and sells the street artist’s unauthorized, illegal, public work, sought out new — and valuable — pieces. 

From Queens and Staten Island to Bushwick and the Lower East Side, each new piece was revealed daily on the artist’s @BANKSYNY Instagram account and website, but the exact locations of the pieces remained secret. “He made a treasure hunt where you needed to go and find something in a part of the city you’ve never been in before,” notes Steve P. Harrington, founder of the Brooklyn Street Art Museum.

Using Twitter hashtags and posts to Facebook, Instagram and Vine, art lovers and fans searched the streets for a new and often fleeting glimpse at Banksy’s work. Banksy hunter Rebecca Encalad recalls, “We would post something and then hashtag it #TheBanksyPhenomenon. It trained us on how to find things on social media.” 

Adding to the thrill of the chase for Banksy fans was the uncertainty of whether a work would be altered or removed before they arrived to see it. Local graffiti artists took to tagging over the pieces, while some property owners removed or obscured the works in hopes of cashing in on the Banksy craze. Eventually, the artist in residence drew the attention of Mayor Bloomberg, who stated that Banksy was defacing public and private property. Though the NYPD denied they were hunting the artist, as the press claimed, one day of the residency was canceled due to police intervention.

On Oct. 31, the final day of Banksy’s residency, balloon letters spelling “Banksy” were displayed near 5 Pointz, the soon-to-be demolished graffiti landmark in Queens. As a crowd formed below the work, a group of men attempted to remove it, prompting an outcry captured by videos posted to Facebook and YouTube.

“It’s like the Internet’s almost the graffiti wall,” said one New Yorker, while another believed the residency could only be seen in person, arguing, “You can’t re-blog this. You have to experience it.” As the audio guide on Banksy’s website observed, “The outside is where art should live, amongst us, where it can act as a public service, promote debate, voice concerns and forge identities. Don’t we want to live in a world made of art, not just decorated by it?”



BANKSY DOES NEW YORK was directed by Chris Moukarbel; produced by Jack Turner; produced in association with Matador Content. For HBO: senior producer, Sara Bernstein; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

Back to TOP