Letters: Banksy at Bristol Museum
I am about to ring up Rebecca Burton, deputy head of Bristol Museum.
I am going to tell her I want to bring my five-year-old daughter to her museum. Does she think a lion with a whip and blood around its mouth after eating the lion tamer is acceptable for a little girl? Let her answer that question.
Perhaps then I could ring Mike Norton, editor of the Post, and ask him why in his words he finds the artist Banksy for some unknown, unconscious reason "very moving".
Let me tell you why every Bristolian child like my five-year-old, again in Mike Norton's words, "has gawped" in the gipsy caravan so many times. It is because they find it beautiful and amazing to look at, and I find him laughing out loud extremely disrespectful.
We should be promoting family values in Bristol and not putting sick and offensive displays by some vandal/graffiti artist on show and then encouraging 8,500 people to turn up and celebrate it.
I thought this country couldn't get any worse but it just keeps surprising me.
Craig Sheppard, Bristol.
8 Comments
by PJS, salisbury
Wednesday, August 05 2009, 11:37PM
“why shouldnt his art be expressed? just because people like you are not willing to open your mind up and see the bigger picture in life.”
by Ruth, Shirehampton
Tuesday, June 23 2009, 9:13PM
“Simply put - dont take your daughter then...
We will, having viewed the exhibition first without our 4 year old son to check its 'suitability' , most definately be taking our son to see this.
Its modern art, not vandalism.
And Bristol should be proud to have such a current, satirical, interesting and cutting edge exhibition in our city.”
by GTZ..., brizzol
Saturday, June 20 2009, 6:06PM
“"Does she think a lion with a whip and blood around its mouth after eating the lion tamer is acceptable for a little girl? "
nah, but the dead human bodies wrapped in bandages, the animals skinned and re-stuffed, the classical paintings depicting battles and all the skeletons and other various remains strewn about are fine!”
by GTZ..., brizzol
Saturday, June 20 2009, 5:51PM
“well my last comment was deleted, dunno why.
anyway, i was basically saying aren't there more important things to worry and write letters about in the world.”
by AnalogueAndy, Somewhere out there
Friday, June 19 2009, 3:47PM
“ a lion with a whip and blood around its mouth after eating the lion tamer
Oh my God, you mean Banksy really fed a lion tamer to a lion!!!!
That's terrible! Surely some misteak?”
by Amanda, Bristol
Friday, June 19 2009, 3:30PM
“This 'artist' is a vandal, end of. What are we teaching the children of Bristol? How to go and be a 'good' vandal, then they can have an exhibition at the museum? This whole thing is disgraceful. Quite agree about the money comment...”
by Feeb, The Fields
Thursday, June 18 2009, 12:29PM
“Personally, I can give or take Banksy's work but I do think the local media's fawning over him is more than a little over the top.
I do find it weird that I am constantly reading how much his works are selling for, which is odd behaviour from an anti-capitalist. I wonder if he'll ever donate anything to the museum, and if they'd display it after the fuss has died down.
I also find it a bit disturbing that people are saying things like "I am so moved, 'cos Banksy is telling us we're destroying our planet and it's all our fault" - do these people not know that already?
I'm also amused with the CCTV's in the nest - presumably the anti-surveillance doesn't extend to removing CCTV from the museum in case any of Banksy's work is stolen or vandalised?
Sure, it's up to people if they want to go and see it and make up their own minds about how they wish to interpret things - I don't have any problem with that at all. But it's sad that the museum and art gallery, that has many worthwhile exhibitions each year, doesn't have the same coverage as a "pop star" artist - who no doubt is chuckling to himself about the whole absurdity of it all.”
by George, Bristol
Wednesday, June 17 2009, 2:41PM
“You need to get a soul and taste in modern culture.”