Banksy on the Metaverse
There are few more iconic names in Art than English-based Street Artist Banksy. Banksy’s satirical graffiti has appeared worldwide and is now in the Metaverse. Sothebys have set up an auction house in Decentraland and sold 2 Banksy originals in a live Metaverse auction. The auction saw the art pieces sold for 3,093 ETH (over $12 million). Banksy famously shredded one art piece Sotheby’s sold for over 1 million pounds. But the art world “is what it is” and claimed “Girl with Balloon” had increased in value due to the shredding and resold for 20 million dollars.
Banksy’s real identity remains a mystery. His graffiti first appeared in the 1990s and was said to be inspired by Massive Attack. Banksy spreads social and political messages through his art that has captivated a generation. The true identity of the Bristol-born artist has often been a subject of wide speculation. With DJ Goldie revealing his first name “Rob” it is believed by many Banksy is “Robin Banks“. Others say Banskys is Massive Attacks ‘3D’ Robert Del Naja. Banksy’s art raises controversy, and recently his art was restored from vandalism on the West Bank, Palestine.
Educators in VR supported a street art in VR event in July on AltspaceVR featuring four Banksy pieces that “no longer exist in the so-called real world but can be viewed in VR as they were meant to be seen, for free.” The Metaverse offers a platform for artists to control not just the art piece but also the viewers’ environment. Galleries have been quick to spring up on the Metaverse, and artists earn through selling NFTs. Banksy’s real-world art could be replicated in virtual simulated environments that mimic the world they were created in and are accessible to everyone.
