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Map of all the Banksy locations in his residency “Better Out Than In”
We followed Banksy every day of his residency “Better Out Than In” in NYC, so we figured we would put together all of his pieces into one article, along with a map of locations. Without further ado, all 31 days for you to take in, marvel, judge, and do with what you will.
The first of Banksy’s month-long show, “The Street is in Play” (photo above) is located on Allen Street, between Hester and Canal, featuring his signature stencil style and the sign “Graffiti is a crime.”
Day 2: This is My New York Accent…normally I write like this
Image via Banksy’s website
“This is My New York Accent” is located on West 25th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues but has been severely graffitied over since then.
Day 3: Dog Peeing on Fire Hydrant in “You Complete Me”
Image via Banksy’s Instagram.
“You Complete Me” can be found between 6th Avenue and 24th Street.
by Instagrammer 495josue
“Occupy! The Musical” was located in Bushwick, Brooklyn before it was taken down. There were two other “The Musical” locations: Dirty Underwear and Playground Mob. Al three were found pieces of graffiti, onto which Banksy added “The Musical” to.
Day 5: 3-D Mobile Waterfall on Inside of Truck Touring Daily
Photo via Banksy Instagram.
“Mobile Waterfall” was constructed in the interior of a truck, and it toured all through Banksy’s residency in New York.
Day 6: Rebel Rocket Attack
On Day 6, Banksy didn’t post any photos, instead uploading a video titled “Rebel Rocket Attack” on his YouTube channel.
Day 7: Battle to Survive a Broken Heart in Brooklyn
Image via BanksyNY.
“Battle to Survive a Broken Heart,” located between King Street and Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, was defaced by a rival street artist by the name of Omar.
Day 8: Fake Plato Quote in Greenpoint
Image via BanksyNY.
Banksy’s fake”Plato” quote was on a blue door in Greenpoint before it was removed.
Day 9: Night Vision Horses on Truck and Car in the Lower East Side
Painted onto a car and truck on Ludlow Street between Stanton and Rivington Streets, “Night Vision Horses” depicts a shootout between armed men and horses.
Day 10: Beaver with Downed No Parking Sign in East New York
Images via BanksyNY.com
Banksy goes for the whimsical with this downed No Parking Anytime sign and a little beaver in East New York
Day 11: Silence of the Lambs Slaughterhouse Truck
The “Sirens of the Lambs” truck started (fittingly) in the Meatpacking District. Filled with stuffed animals and a soundtrack of squealing animals, it toured the city for two weeks.
Day 12: Concrete Confessional at Cooper Union
Banksy found a discreet spot in a construction zone next to Cooper Union in the East Village for this Jesuit priest framed by a concrete piling. After a defacing, construction workers made a stand to protect the piece with plexiglass.
Day 13: Spray Art for Sale Ignored in a Stall at Central Park
Image via banksy_co_uk
On the same day as Concrete Confessional, Banksy set up a stand just next to Central Park South with signed pieces of his spray art for sale. Only three people bought, and one negotiated a 50% discount.
Day 14: What We Do in Life Echoes for Eternity
Image via banksy_co_uk
Located on 68th Street and 38th Avenue in Queens, just off the 7 Train, the text reads “What we do in life echoes in Eternity,” as a man begins to wipe it off the wall. The quote is from Maximus in Gladiator, which is a variation from the original by Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher who said “What we do now echoes in eternity.”
Day 15: Twin Towers Tribute in Tribeca
This piece in Tribeca was a touching tribute to the original Twin Towers at the World Trade Center…or was the flower also a reference to the site of the explosion?
Day 16: Shoe Shine, Ronald McDonald’s with Enormous Shoes in the Bronx
Image via Banksy’s Instagram
Banksy created a fiberglass replica of a Ronald McDonald having his shoes shined by a real person outside a McDonald’s in the South Bronx. The sculpture (plus the actor) traveled to a different McDonalds at lunchtime for the next week.
Day 17: Japanese Footbridge Scene in Bed Stuy
This piece in Bed-Study used an architectural detail from an existing building to double as a bridge, the work features two Japanese-attired women and a Bonzai like tree.
Day 18: Banksy x Os Gemeos Open Air Gallery Under the High Line in Chelsea
Image via Banksy’s website
This installation was a play on the gallery in an outdoor space under the High Line at West 24th Street. It was a collaboration with Brazilian twins Os Gemeos, whom we previously covered for his massive mural in Boston.
Day 20: “Hammer Boy” on the Upper West Side
This Banksy piece was located on 79th Street, just east of Broadway, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “Hammer Boy” depicts a child playing the high striker or strongman game commonly found at carnivals.
Day 21: Ghetto 4 Life in the South Bronx
Image via Banksy’s website
Banksy headed to the South Bronx with some sharp social commentary in his stencil work. A butler-like man serves spray cans on a platter to a little boy writing “GHETTO 4 LiFE” on a gray wall. It was located at 153 Street and Elton Avenue.
Day 22: Urban Sphinx in “Everything Except the Kitchen Sphinx”
Image via BanksyNY.
We have to admit,” Everything but the Kitchen Sphinx” is pretty clever–although Americans don’t always think puns are as funny as the Brits and Europeans. This was a 1/36 scale replica of the great Sphinx of Giza made from smashed cinderblocks.
Day 23: “Today’s art has been cancelled due to police activity”
On Day 23, Banksy put up on his Instagram the message, “Today’s art has been cancelled due to policy activity.” Rumors of his arrest proved to be false, however, though nothing else was posted for the rest of the day.
Day 24: Waiting in vain…at the door of the Hustler Club
Image via BanksyNY.
Without any additional commentary on the day prior’s “police activity,” Banksy posted his latest from Hell’s Kitchen with the caption “Waiting in Vain…at the door of the club” on the rolling metal grille of the Hustler Club on the West Side Highway in Hell’s Kitchen. The Hustler Club promptly removed the piece for safekeeping, though did not have any intention to sell.
Day 25: Grim Reaper in Bumper Car “Brace Yourself”
Banksy kept everyone in wait on Day 25, posting in the morning that the piece wouldn’t go up until 5pm. Then it was 6pm. Located on Elizabeth and Houston Street in the former location of Billy’s Antiques, the work was an interactive version of Banksy’s prior piece “Brace Yourself,” of a grim reaper in a bumper car replete with fog machines and an accordion player.
Photo by Bob Cooley.
Day 26: “The Grumpier You Are The More Assholes You Meet.”
Image via BanksyNY.
Day 26 was a truck that started out in Sunset Park written on the back, “The grumpier you are, the more assholes you meet…”
Day 27: “This Site Contains Blocked Messages” in Greenpoint
Photo by Bob Cooley.
This Banksy piece showed up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: a white message on greyed out background that reads “this site contains blocked messages.” He gave us an interesting detail about this piece on his website saying, “Today’s piece was going to be an op-ed column in the New York Times. But they declined to publish what I supplied.” The op-ed about the architecture of 1 WTC was nonetheless published on Bansky’s website–read it here.
Day 28: Tagging Robot on Coney Island
Image via BanksyNY.
Banksy hit up Coney Island with this whimsical robot tagging a barcode after two days of predominantly text pieces. Though we thought the bird was originally part of the artwork, turns out, it was real.
Day 29: Painting with Nazi Officer in Housing Works on 23rd Street
Image via BanksyNY.
On Banksy’s third to last day of his residency, he took a painting from Housing Works, added a Nazi officer gazing at an idealized landscape in the Hudson River School style, and re-donated it back to the thrift store with his signature. Housing Works promptly got it ready for auction, where it took in $615,000.
NYC Day 30: Yankee Stadium/Bronx Zoo Leopard
Image via Banksy’s website
At around 6:30pm, Banksy shared his piece for Day 30 near Yankee Stadium, seemingly in homage to the Bronx Zoo. While it was unclear whether it was a leopard, cheetah or something else, what was clear is that there are messages in the cat’s patterning including a peace sign, “NY”, a shout out to street artist Cope.
Day 31: “Inflatable Throw-Up” on the Long Island Expressway in Queens
Image via Banksy’s website
On the final day of his residency in NYC, Banksy tagged 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. The audio guide however said the most about this piece in Queens, along with the artist’s thoughts on the residency in NYC in general.
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