Imagine an art show that uses walls rather than canvases. Now imagine art pieces displayed up and down the streets of New York City. Graffiti is not an uncommon sight in New York, but this is much more than graffiti. It is street art, and it is incredible.

The infamous, and anonymous, street artist Bansky is back in the United States for his second show. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Banksy unveiled his first show in Los Angeles in 2006. His New York show was called “Better Out than In.” His goal was to create a piece of work for every day in October.

“The plan is to live here, react to things, see the sights—and paint on them,” he wrote in an email interview with The New York Village Voice.

Banksy uses a mixture of mediums. His main work is made with stencils and spray paint, but he also creates sculpture art and installations. 

One piece of sculpture art created for the New York show was called “Sirens of the Lambs.” It was a particularly loud piece of art; squeaking stuffed animals toured the meatpacking district as a comment on animal cruelty.

Since street art is so short-lived, Bansky created a website to post pictures of his work. Many of his pieces are painted over and some are even carved out of walls. In the past, people have stolen Bansky’s art because he has become an international street art legend. His fame stems partly from his anonymity, and partly because his work is well done and honest. His unique pieces got him noticed, and now he is mentioned among other contemporary artists like Andy Warhol. Some of his pieces have sold for millions of dollars; however, Bansky insists his art is intended for the public and he is not interested in the money.

Banksy’s work is not beautiful. People like his work because it has meaning behind it, even if it is hidden behind playful themes and satire. 

One recent piece of his was a sculpture of Ronald McDonald having his shoes shined by a live actor dressed in rags. The sculpture was placed outside different McDonald’s restaurants in New York City. 

Even though he was making a serious comment on modern day corporations, Bansky added an audio track to his website with a joking narrator who mocked the meaning behind it.

Maybe this is the way that Bansky makes his art more relatable, or maybe he just does not take himself too seriously. Either way, we believe that he loves what he does, even when there is no meaning behind it.

“I know street art can feel increasingly like the marketing wing of an art career, so I wanted to make some art without the price tag attached. There’s no gallery show or book or film. It’s pointless. Which hopefully means something,” Banksy wrote to The New York Village Voice.