ewee (2/26): Wall and Piece by Banksy

[well, since i missed this year's apature zine thing, i had a bit of an alterna-zine fest of my own. not sure if these all count, but i had a lovely weekend of reading, so i'll post 'em and let the critics have at it ;-P]
...

browsing in super7 this sunday, and came across a couple books that seemed cash-worthy. banksy's book, Wall and Piece was one of them. if a book pulls me in and makes me drool, laugh, and forget the people around me, it's usually a good candidate for purchase. but when it's a pricey hardcover, it's got to have something more. in this case, what this book brought to the [coffee] table was a brilliant dose of inspiration and a good kick in the pants...

The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit.
--from Wall and Piece

if there's a way to classify what inspires me, drives me to believe in art, it'd be best described as the art of the contrarian. revolutionary, breaking rules, sometimes breaking laws (but in a 21st century robin hood kinda way). speaking the truth with humor and gentleness for the oppressed, scathing for the folks at the top.

All artists are prepared to suffer for their work but why are so few prepared to learn to draw?
--from Wall and Piece

rarely do i find a book that makes me believe in the power of the individual, in the power of art, in the power of truth. this book gives me hope for the future, strength to face my own dreams, and motivates me make some shit. so yes, a book with mainly pictures, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, this should actually be worth a coupla books, right? and i'll read it again tonight, pull out my sketchbooks, and see what change and truth i can see...