Almost exactly two years ago, we covered all 31 days of Banksy’s New York City residency “Better in Than Out.” In October 2013, Banksy took over New York City in a crazed hunt for new daily of street art, graffiti ad installations. A recent piece from the Guardian, however, brings less than surprising news to Banksy fans and street art aficionados: nearly none of the 31 Banksy pieces remain in their original state today.
This past September, a writer for the Guardian decided to see on how the art pieces were doing two years after the residency. He found that Hammer Boy on the Upper West Side remains intact due to a plexiglass cover and a Bushwick piece depicting geishas on a bridge has also been preserved through its roll-top gate (meaning pedestrians can’t actually see it).
In addition, he discovered that Banksy’s Heart Balloon had been cut out of its position in Brooklyn to be sold (though not before attempts were made to deface it on the day it was revealed), that Banksy’s Chelsea image of a dog urinating on a fire hydrant (titled “You Complete Me”) has been graffitied over, and found a few other works painted over by building owners or the city. All the other pieces have been removed and auctioned off.
Though New York City is a haven for street artists, their works of art are often short-lived. Thus, the writer from the Guardian points out that the public shouldn’t be surprised at the disappearance of the Banksy pieces, as the very nature of street art is “ephemeral,” with “its longevity dictated by an urban ecosystem that includes city officials, building owners and local street artists.”
