I knew of Banksy from design-world magazines and ad rags and of course the doco-movie Exit Through the Giftshop (Banksy's work and his hooded appearances were its only saving grace in my opinion).
I found this well-thumbed, dog-eared book in a tiny gem of a coffee shop in Dunedin and knew after two minutes of leafing through it that I needed it. Biting social commentary expressed in grafitti; witty, truthful – a gift to the passers-by lucky enough to see it on their daily travels in London, but even Soho New York, and other exotic parts of war-torn Europe etc. While most of us ought to admit that we often go about our daily lives in a murky dream-state, Banksy seems to be alert to everything we are missing or taking for granted. However, sometimes he's just plain mischievous but at least his art is enjoyable and thought-provoking. I found myself chuckling or feeling pangs of poignancy about issues I don't think enough about. I don't know how to summarise him without appearing like a right prat. He doesn't really preach – I think in conclusion – he reminds. Well that's enough about that – if all you need on occasion is one damn fine visual pun – get it. Because its not a hardback – it's a nice price.
