Banksy, Oscars, and the Whole Fried World

First and foremost, if Justin Timberlake was really Banksy, I might give up making art altogether. Then again, it might be genius. However, I really don't want to go there because if JT really does turn out to be Banksy, I'll be continuing this conversation with a psychologist years down the road.

So, now that's out of the way and I've recovered from a minor heart attack...

In other news, I'm deciding to not write about art, Atlanta, or any other shenanigans this week and touching onto a more serious topic: The State of Things in the world right now.

Forget about art and Oscars for a minute (although both make for an entertaining distraction) and let's take a look into the titles of New York Times articles posted this past week:

As Regimes Fall in Arab World, Al Qaeda Sees History Fly By

Libya Wages Counterattack on Rebels, and Battles Rage

Oman Joins Protest Wave and 2 Die in Clashes with Police

Regulation Lax as Gas Wells' Tainted Water Hits Rivers

So, in short, I'm not completely focused on art right now because I'm not sure there is going to be a world to exhibit it in over the coming years. Besides, these events could potentially change the art market as we know it. In fact, it already has. Dramatic? Maybe. Serious? Well, kinda. It's important to get your head out of the sand for a minute and look around at other issues taking place globally and even within our very own country. Gas prices are rising due to the political unrest going on in the Middle East. Not to mention, we're still having issues from oil we spilled from here in the U.S. Yes, We: You, Me , and Everyone We know (unless you're someone that's surviving without relying on any oil at all; supply/demand). The political uprising over in the Middle East is still out of control. We even have protestors here in America! This past week in Madison, Wisconsin, over 100,000 people gathered to protest for workers rights. So many things are going on right now, that if I tried to sit here and list them all, you would have forgotten the Oscars already. And hopefully Justin Timberlake attempting to be Banksy as well.

It's getting pretty difficult to ignore the fact that sooner or later, everyone in the world could be affected by the economical, political, and even ecological imbalance nearing its tipping point if, in fact, it hasn't already been reached. And is it just me or have you noticed more and more people finally talking about it? Okay. It’s possible that I’m really dramatizing all of these coincidental events and occurrences and everything (or everyone, shall we) will fall back into place in the near future. Me, personally? I have my doubts that all of these current issues will go away quickly and easily.

Is the end of the world as we know it finally arriving? I'm tuning in. Not that I'm opposed to a more modest number for the human population.

Who knows, maybe Justin Timberlake will reveal himself as Banksy and start some mass political movement to better the world through his art and music. No?

And so maybe I haven't fully recovered from JT's bad joke. But on a serious note, people should definitely start checking up on current issues in the world. And if you feel inspired... hey, make art. At the very least, check out some of the above links.


First Image courtesy of Lynsey Addario for The New York Times
Second image courtesy of Karim Sahib/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images