Archive for July 9th, 2010

July 9, 2010

Anosognosia

flesh wound

Anosognosia [ah-no-sohg-no-see-ah] is a condition in which a disabled person seems unaware of or denies the existence of his or her disability. This may include unawareness of quite dramatic impairments, such as blindness or paralysis. It was first named by neurologist Joseph Babinski in 1914,  although relatively little has been discovered about the cause of the condition since its initial identification. The word comes from the Greek words “nosos” disease and “gnosis” knowledge.

July 9, 2010

Blek le Rat

blek le rat

Blek le Rat was born Xavier Prou in Paris in 1952.

He is considered by many the godfather of stencil graffiti art. He began his artwork in 1981, painting stencils of rats on the street walls of Paris, describing the rat as ‘the only free animal in the city,’ and one which ‘spreads the plague everywhere, just like street art.’ His name originates from a childhood cartoon ‘Blek le Roc,’ using ‘rat’ as an anagram for ‘art.’

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July 9, 2010

Banksy

peace

Banksy is the pseudonym of a prolific British grafiti artist whose identity is still unknown. His artworks are often satirical pieces on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing and stenciling has been compared to Parisian graffiti artist Blek le Rat and members of the punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London subway system in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Banksy’s art has appeared in cities around the world. Art auctioneers have been known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder. Banksy’s first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.