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The point is not just that he's blinded by the flag: He's boldly marching into the void, confident. "wrapped in the flag" is a great saying.
I see that we have presumed the gender and age of this figure, or we’ve accepted the headline as definitive interpretation of it.
I think it's a reasonable statue. But does anyone else think it's a bit obvious, more so than his other work? Like there is no doubt on the meaning at all, it's all right there on the surface level.
Do we stop talking about the Jewish holocaust because, well isn't it obvious that genocide is bad?

If we don't remind ourselves of these situations to be aware of we can easily get mired in our daily lives and forget these important matters. It becomes easy to ignore. Especially if the bad stuff does not effect you. If one becomes complacent, one becomes part of the problem in the hope the problem won't come after them.

This same thing goes for anything that needs to stick whether its programming, therapy, or playing a musical instrument. The more you practice something the more it sticks.

I misparsed this headline as

(Statue (of a man (blinded by a flag (put up by Banksy)))) in central London

It is intended to be

((Statue (of a man (blinded by a flag))) (put up by Banksy)) in central London

Anyone else leaving up a huge statue in the middle of the park would be arrested
Yeah, definetly had the city agree to it, no way in hell to sneak a statue like that without the cops getting involved.
Really makes you think. I guess Palestine and Ukraine should just give up.
Who decides that this is from Banksy? I could make a stencil graffiti in my village and claim it's from Banksy and noone could prove me wrong. Or is he using a digital signature as proof of authorship?
The piece states that it appears to be molded fiberglass. But is anyone aware of any more in depth analysis of its materials/possible production technique? Was the pillar barren on top before?
Banksy is the patron saint of the “I’m 13 and this is deep” mentality.
Banksy's "anonymity" is a total farce at this point, thoroughly supported by those in power.
Yeah, but we won't really know for sure until he sells some of the genesis block.
Remember kids. Don't believe in anything. Don't join anything. Don't give even a small part of yourself up to anything. Don't be part of anything bigger than yourself.
It took me a minute to figure out why I think it's lame.

I suspect that Banksy and his fans are sure that it's "the other" Britons that are blinded, it's not a self-reflection prompt for them. Maybe I am wrong.

Maybe a more powerful piece of art would have that self reflection effect across the board. As is it feels about as nuanced as "fuck trump" and similar. If you already agree you already agree, if not then you just think it's stupid. So ultimately feels like impotent art unless I am totally misunderstanding.

He definitely got a permit for that which makes the whole thing even more laughable
Things were more fun when they were actually transgressive and not just the established doctrine of those in power.
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If someone was to deface this statue would they face legal action? It’s kind of an interesting thought, side if it really was just put up without the city’s authority it would be okay, and if it wasn’t it defeats the entire point.

“Rage against the machine” by doing what the machine wants type thing.

This statue might be the best thing he's ever done. I love it.
Despite the denials, the answer is most likely this was all coordinated with LEAs.

  Some artists have questioned if Banksy, once considered anti-establishment, now enjoys special treatment from Britain's powers that be.

  In 2014, Vice Media asked: 'Why Is Banksy the Only Person Allowed to Vandalize Britain’s Walls?' The story quoted David Speed, a street artist who ran a British graffiti collective. "It's very much one rule for him and another rule for everyone else ... When street artists do it, it's vandalism. When Banksy does it, it's an art piece."

  Contacted by Reuters, Speed praised Banksy as "a really important artist of modern times." Yet he still wonders why "one artist should be able to have carte blanche and everyone else would be subject to penalties."
In Search of Banksy, https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-a... (2026).