Banksy was here. Or was he?

Either way, we now have some great street art.

Since a few weeks back, a new character has been gracing the wall of a brick building on Washington Street in Downtown Montgomery. The subject, style and location suggests it might be British street artist Banksy who has struck again.

Although no one knows what he looks like, Banksy is probably one of the most famous street artists of today. His work can be seen all over the world, including London, New York, Betlehem, and the Gaza strip, where he snuck in through various illegal tunnels to adorn the bombed housing area. His work is clever, imaginative, and often political – as is the piece here in Montgomery.

Now as this post is being penned many sources, on and offline, have chimed in saying that this is not the work of famed Banksy. Below is a few pictures of Banksy’s  for your comparative pleasure.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. depicted as a superhero.

The stenciled mural that has appeared in Montgomery certainly looks like it could be the creation of Banksy. The uncanny image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, framed by a native american dream catcher in the background is a graceful nod to the so often neglected legacy of people of color in our state. The Reverend, separating his shirt like Superman, reveals an X on his chest. At the bottom right, two icons, the number 50 and a broken heart cupped by two hands, suggests that the image was added during, or at least in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It is a genius depiction of Montgomery’s (and the world’s) favorite superhero, and a wonderful addition to the Montgomery public art selection. If rumors are true, this is the work of a local artist, which makes it that much better. 

First real street art in Montgomery.

Wikipedia defines Street Art as:

“Visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues.”

It goes on to say that artists who prefer using public space for their art often seek to communicate directly with the public without the restrictions of the world of formal art. Many seek to attract attention to a cause or to at least provoke thought. According to that definition, It is safe to say that the recent Banksy style depiction of Martin Luther King Jr. is in fact, the first street art in Montgomery.

Now, some might want to point out that Montgomery recently unveiled two public works of art in the downtown area, a mural by Sunny Paulk on Lee Street and a sculpture by Jon Cook and Barrett Bailey in the roundabout in the Cottage Hill Neighborhood. While they are depictions of the Civil Rights Movement, neither is thought provoking nor are they making a bold statement.

Faceless tribute to a movement comprised of countless faces.

Whether it was intentional or not, the Montgomery Public Art Commission in their last minute attempt to add something artful honoring the Civil Rights Movement, have managed to achieve the impossible. They have  created unimaginative art.

While the vibrant mural on Lee Street is a welcome splash of color to the downtown landscape, it begs the question: Who are those people? The mural is based on a famous photograph taken of the Kings, Dr. Abernathy and his children as they arrived in Montgomery 50 years ago. The problem is, the people in the mural look like random individuals who, in another 50 years from now will not be recognized as Dr. Martin Luther King and his wife. With no plaque or numbered legend to indicate these Civil Rights leaders, what is the real point of it?

Similarly, the shiny cutout of a group of marchers have no faces. While the artists’ idea was clever (The idea was for the 2015 marchers to see themselves in the reflection as they passed by), it nevertheless leaves us with another faceless ode to the Civil Rights Movement.

Along the path of the Historic Trail, temporary murals made by creative and talented students at Brewbaker, Booker T. Washington, and other schools have been fastened with rivets- so that they can be removed.

Perhaps these faceless depictions are a fluke, a mere coincidence. Just like the absence of any statues or depictions of any Civil Rights leaders in the city where it all began not once, but twice.

Perhaps, the fact that the only public bust of Rosa Parks was privately funded and not raised until 2006, is a coincidence too. As is the baffling absence of a Martin Luther King statue at the Capitol. Mrs. Parks’ bus stop until recently, was only marked by a plaque added by an African American sorority in the 2000’s. The bronze roundels on the Rosa Parks Library & Museum, paid for by Huyndai.

The recent art in Montgomery leaves much to be desired, at least the ones that the city endorses, that’s what happens when OUR story is depicted like THEIR story and becomes HIS story. If you don’t tell your own story someone else will.

Perhaps leaving out the faces of those who pave the way for progress enables us to forget what a terrible place this once was. Maybe acknowledging them would mean having to recognize those who opposed their views and tried to hold them back. Maybe, just maybe, we still have communication issues along the color lines in this city.

True street art is supposed to engage the beholder, through the subject, not be used by the artist to leave their legacy. The legacy should be the art. Public art should be interactive, funny, provocative, controversial, or at the very least compelling. Hopefully, the one true street art in Montgomery, AL depicting Dr. King  will be left alone long enough to be enjoyed by the people of Montgomery.

Whether it is Banksy who is behind it or not, it is rather fitting that the artist of this masterpiece, is indeed faceless.

The mural can be seen on the corner of South Perry and Washington, downtown. Several sources including the Mobile Art Council suggest that although similar in style, this is not the work of Banksy.