On the final day of his residency in NYC, Banksy tags his name in inflatable bubble letters, which he’s calling “Inflatable Throw-Up,” on a building in Queens, making his final mark on New York City. Although morning rumors in social media (along with an Untapped reader who sent us a photo on the way to his office this morning) pointed to a piece on Greenwich Street downtown, by 10:30am others were saying it was “too sloppy and primitive” to be the elusive Banksy.
The audio guide however says the most about this piece in Queens, which is admittedly not the most aesthetically striking.
The guide says, “Well, this is the last day of the show. And I’d like to say we’re going out on a high note. And, I guess in a way we are. This is a sideways take on the ubiquitous spray painted bubble lettering that actually…floats. It’s an homage of sorts to the most prevalent form of graffiti in the city that invented it for the modern era…or it’s another Banksy piece that’s full of hot air.”
The narrator continues:
“So, what had the artist hoped to have achieved with this so called residency? Shame it didn’t get any press. He told me if just one child has been inspired to pick up a can of paint and make some art, “Well that would be statistically disappointing considering how much work I put in.”
It’s been an interesting experiment but is there a cohesive message behind it? I gave the artist two minutes to think of one. Banksy asserts that outside is where art should live, amongst us. And rather than street art being a fad, maybe it’s the last thousand years of art history that are the blip, when art came inside in service of the church and institutions. B
ut art’s rightful place is on the cave walls of our communities where it can act as a public service, provoke debate, voice concerns, forge identities. The world today is run, visually at least, by traffic signs, billboards and planning committees. Is that it? Don’t we want to live in a world made of art not just decorated by it? Thanks for coming.”
On the website he finally acknowledges 5Pointz: “And that’s it.Thanks for your patience. It’s been fun. Save 5pointz. Bye.”
Instagramer theprintuplist reports that it’s on 35th Street and Borden Avenue.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
