Banksy Revives 50 Year Old Rebellion In Paris
Parisian Revival Of Rebellion.
Banksy's first Parisian Murals are a stab at capitalism and the refugee crisis.The murals are a treasure hunt with only 9 being found of the 10-12 believed to be around the city. The anonymous artist hinted on his instagram that he is paying homage to the 50 year Paris Student uprising of 1968.
The uprising was iconic in French and European History. Born from the university sit in protests about capitalism, American Imperialism, consumerism and every other -ism out there. The "May 68" went from university protests to French factory workers striking to virtually bringing the French economy to a stand still. The French government at the time feared the protests would create a civil revolt and could lead to war. But that was not the aim of the protests. May 68 succeeded as it was "a social revolution, not as a political one" as noted by Alain Geismar, a leader of the protests at the time. May 68 showed the strength in numbers of the people against the power of the government. And while many reporters and news outlets may claim that the issues that "68" aimed to fix are now fixed, the issues in present day have not been addressed and Macron's leadership has been faced with many a protest and social failings.
Is Banksy reminding us that if we stand together in protest we can defeat the state? We can defeat the idiots running around the G8 summits claiming to represent us, the masses?
But the murals are not all about the uprising. Banksy wants us to draw our attention to the refugee crisis, the ridiculous laws imposed on humanity (like France's Burka Ban), capitalism as well as commemorate the important events that have happened in the streets of Paris and need to be remembered. Banksy's choice of mural locations are deliberate, one mural of a girl huddled in a corner on the exit door of the Bataclan Concert Hall, the site of a terrorist attack who took the lives of 90 people.
In true Banksy style the Murals are left open for interpretation.
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