SO BANKSY – WHAT IS THE ANSWER ?
Cromer artist Samuel Thomas admires the profound work of the elusive BANKSY, and he points out ‘With Banksy highlighting some very important issues to be solved, what are the answers?’
So Banksy’s got us all questioning – ‘Is this another official Banksy creation?’ But let’s not get too distracted in all of the excitement. What is the real valuable question we should be concerned about?
Banksy has highlighted some complicated humanitarian problems at home and abroad from second-home displacement In the UK to the refugee crisis in his recent East Anglian spraycation offerings. However fixating too much on the problems themselves never really gets us anywhere, so shouldn’t we really be asking ourselves: ‘What are the solutions?
Samuel Thomas explains his point of view…… Let me be clear, this is in no way a criticism of Banksy as I admire his work. I am just harking back to Banksy’s true intent, he is re-affirming the problems to prompt us to discuss and seek out the best possible solutions. My own artworks, many of which are based on Cromer itself are far removed from Banksy’s real-world statements that are often politically charged and controversial. I produce artwork to pursue pure escapism creating optimistic paintings to envision the perfect places and the ideal futures we wish for that are filled with joy and abundance. Although I am aware of the problems that surround us I believe there is a real need for mental-escape because without dreams and compelling visions of our futures, we can lose hope. Although my artworks themselves are far removed from that of Banksy, we both desire a future that is free of problems and is as close to utopia as we can obtain.
But of course in reality we can’t always escape our problems. This is probably the reason Banksy has deliberately chosen the idyllic seaside towns as a way to remind us all that even when we are enjoying the perfect day of sun, sea and sand - our problems still exist. We can’t hope that climate change or the refugee crisis will go away. We can’t just look to one person or one group in society such as the politicians to solve our problems either. I think the answer lies within all of us, as Barak Obama once said: ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.’
The purpose of art is to connect us and we are connected through our problems, the last year especially has re-affirmed that. Banksy encourages us to think about the problems that exist and to ask ourselves on a daily basis: ‘What can I do that will somehow improve these problems?’
For example, I know that these is no cure for Cancer but there is treatment. Therefore recently I have used my passion for art to raise help raise £5k towards Cromer’s Macmillan Cancer treatment centre. This has spurred me on to figure out how I can help other worthy causes going forward.
When it comes to the other problems out there, perhaps part of the answers lie within all of us collectively to make a difference. Many of us, in all professions, from all walks of life share the same belief: We desire the perfect future, but some part of us know we will never quite get there, but that’s what keeps us persevering. It is the ongoing challenge in trying to solve our own problems and the world’s problems that keeps us going.’ Artists could be thought of as the biggest ‘hopeless dreamers’ of all - but we need dreams to help pull us into the future.
Let’s enjoy Banksy’s artwork, but let’s ask ourselves the real valuable question:
What can I do as of tomorrow to help build towards a more optimistic future?
‘Kings, Queens & Jokers’ – An original painting by Samuel Thomas depicting the houses of parliament that is a satirical look at the game of politics within our lives. The artist has used the Kings, Queens, and Jokers playing cards within the picture as a way to point fun at the politicians of whom we often refer to as ‘Jokers’ when they fail to deliver the solutions to our problems. But we should remind ourselves that politicians can only ever do so much, and we ourselves hold the power to make a difference.