美国国家公共电台 NPR This Art Show Doesn't Have Banksy's Blessings — His Fans Don't Seem To Mind

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Miami's annual high-profile art market Art Basel kicks off today. And one of the hottest tickets this year is for a show running in conjunction with the fair. It features 80 works by the artist Banksy. The artist, however, is not happy about this. Banksy, who gained worldwide fame for street art laden¹ with social commentary, says it is an unauthorized show organized by, quote, "unscrupulous profiteers." And as NPR's Greg Allen reports, Banksy's disapproval² doesn't seem to be discouraging his fans from checking it out.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE³: More than 100,000 people saw the show when it was mounted earlier this year in Toronto. It includes silk-screened prints and spray-painted canvases, smaller versions of the images the artist was painting on walls in Bristol and London a decade ago. Many are familiar.

CHRIS FORD⁴: So, for example, the key piece we have in this room is the "Smiley Copper⁵."

ALLEN: Chris Ford, one of the show's curators, points out the riot policeman with a smiley face.

FORD: It's totally subverted⁶ by him putting a smiley face on it and some wings.

ALLEN: Also the "Pulp⁷ Fiction" send up, where the guns John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson are holding are replaced by bananas. There are some Banksy of England spoof⁸ 10-pound notes with Princess Diana replacing Queen Elizabeth. Ford, one of the show's curators, says the pieces are on loan from collectors, many of whom purchased them from the artist.

FORD: And we have two examples of the most well-known of Banksy's images, the "Girl With Balloon" original and the "Flower Thrower" original as well.

ALLEN: "Girl With Balloon," one of Banksy's recurring⁹ images, was in the news recently when a canvas version was partially¹⁰ and deliberately¹¹ shredded¹² after it was sold at auction¹³ for $1.4 million There's something jarring about seeing work by an artist known for his guerrilla installations displayed in a gallery. His stencil¹⁴ paintings, often carrying a message that's both humorous and political, have popped up surreptitiously on walls from New York to the Gaza Strip. One photo in the show captures a slogan Banksy stenciled¹⁵ in Trafalgar Square in 2003, labeling it a designated riot area. The show was mounted without the participation¹⁶ or approval of the artist, a fact organizer Steve Lazarides says is made clear to all visitors.

STEVE LAZARIDES: I never made any bones about it from the beginning. It was always an unauthorized show. I wouldn't want anyone to ever think that this was a Banksy show. It's not. It's an exhibition of Banksy's works, and it's not something that he's got any involvement in.

ALLEN: If Lazarides sounds defensive¹⁷, that's because he and Banksy have a history. Lazarides worked with the artist for several years, eventually becoming his dealer¹⁸, until the two had a falling out. A decade after they parted ways, Lazarides is still profiting from his Banksy connection.

LAZARIDES: I know he doesn't like the show. But I think, you know, at the end of the day, is it better for hundreds and thousands of people to be able to come and view those paintings or for it to be stuck on the wall of one collector?

ALLEN: In a statement, Banksy's management company says legal proceedings¹⁹ are underway against the exhibition's organizers who, quote, "abuse Banksy's name for their own financial greed." At the show in Miami, ticket prices start near $40. Some visitors I spoke²⁰ to didn't have a problem with the cost or that it was an unauthorized show. Karen Correa says it seems to fit with Banksy's iconoclastic²¹ image.

KAREN CORREA: All of his installations are always kind of, like, controversial. So it feels like it's kind of, like, an invitation to yet maybe come (laughter).

ALLEN: The fact that Banksy's work, much of it with an anti-capitalist message, generates millions of dollars for the artist and the organizers of the show is an irony²² lost on no one, especially Banksy fans.

PHILGOOD DAVIS: Even as you're leaving, there's a really funny quote on the wall. And I screenshotted it 'cause I thought it was hilarious²³.

ALLEN: Philgood Davis pulls out his phone. The 2001 Banksy quote begins, we can't do anything to change the world until capitalism²⁴ crumbles²⁵.

DAVIS: Until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime, we should all go shopping and console ourselves.

(LAUGHTER)

ALLEN: The show of Banksy's work continues in Miami through February. Greg Allen, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF BROKE FOR FREE'S "FEEL GOOD")

1 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

2 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

5 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

6 subverted   

v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠

参考例句：

• Their wills could be subverted only by death. 只有死神才能使他们放弃他们的意志。 来自教父部分
• Indiana State laws deliberately subverted the intent of the constitutions 14th Amendment. 印第安纳州的法律有意歪曲联邦宪法第十四条修正案的愿意。 来自辞典例句

7 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

8 spoof   

n.诳骗，愚弄，戏弄

参考例句：

• The show was a spoof of college life.那戏是对大学生活的讽刺。
• That is Tim Robbins's spoof documentary about a presidential campaign.那是蒂姆·罗宾斯关于总统选举的讽刺纪录片。

9 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

10 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

11 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

12 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

14 stencil   

v.用模版印刷；n.模版；复写纸，蜡纸

参考例句：

• He then stencilled the ceiling with a moon and stars motif.他随后用模版在天花板上印上了月亮和繁星图案。
• Serveral of commonly used methods are photoprinting,photoengraving,mechnical engraving,and stencil.通常所采用的几种储存方法是：影印法、照相蚀刻、机械雕刻和模板。

15 stenciled   

v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• To transfer(a stenciled design) with pounce. 以印花粉印用印花粉末转印（镂空模板花样） 来自互联网
• L: Cardboard cartons, with stenciled shipping marks. 李：刷有抬头的硬纸板箱。 来自互联网

16 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

17 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

18 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

19 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

20 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

21 iconoclastic   

adj.偶像破坏的，打破旧习的

参考例句：

• His iconoclastic tendencies can get him into trouble. 他与传统信仰相悖的思想倾向可能会给他带来麻烦。 来自辞典例句
• The film is an iconoclastic allegory. 电影是一个关于破坏的寓言。 来自互联网

22 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

23 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

24 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

25 crumbles   

酥皮水果甜点( crumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This cake crumbles too easily. 这种蛋糕太容易碎了。
• This bread crumbles ever so easily. 这种面包非常容易碎。