Help! I Hate... Loving Banksy

Every week, The Art Journal’s resident art world Agony Aunt Charlotte Jansen answers your questions about access, gatekeeping and sticky social problems.

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I feel a bit silly even writing this, but I really like Banksy’s art and I’m starting to feel embarrassed about it. I remember seeing a video of 'Girl with Balloon' being shredded just after it was sold at auction, and being genuinely amazed by it. I thought it was such a clever statement about money and the artworld, but when I brought it up with my friends, one of them laughed and said Banksy was overrated and only popular with people who wanted to seem deep. Everyone else seemed to agree, and I ended up feeling stupid for finding it so interesting.

The annoying thing is, I still really like his work! But now, whenever I see a Banksy piece I love, I find myself wondering whether I actually like it or whether I’ve just been influenced by the hype around him. I hate that I’ve started second-guessing my own taste just because of what other people think. I don’t want to seem pretentious, but I also don’t want to pretend I dislike something just to fit in. How do I stop caring so much about what my friends think? Is it ridiculous to feel embarrassed about something as small as liking an artist?

I think everyone has an artist they think of as a ‘guilty pleasure’: someone they secretly like but feel embarrassed to admit to because the work is deemed too mainstream, too colourful or too vapid by the gatekeepers of taste.

I can understand why the Girl with Balloon moment stuck with you. There was something bold about a piece of art being shredded just after it had sold for millions. Banksy might seem basic to some, but he’s managed to engage far more people than most artists have in the last few decades. Whether he’s populist or overrated is a matter of opinion. The interesting thing to me is that his work made you stop and think. That’s got to mean something.

Art is supposed to make people feel things, ask questions and see the world differently. You don’t have to convince everyone else to appreciate it for your reaction to be valid.

I wonder if part of what’s bothering you is that your friends have made liking Banksy seem like a statement about the kind of person you are. Nobody wants to be seen as pretentious or fawning, or as someone who likes things just to look clever and deep. But enjoying an artist doesn’t automatically mean you’re trying to impress anyone. Sometimes, you simply like what you like, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

It’s also worth remembering that your friends are allowed to dislike Banksy. They might genuinely find his work overrated, and that’s fine. But their opinions don’t have to become your opinions. You wouldn’t stop enjoying your favourite song just because a friend said it was rubbish, so why should art be any different?

So, next time someone makes a joke or shady comment, don’t defend yourself or justify your opinion. You could simply say either “F’off” or, less abrasively, “Maybe he is overrated, but I still find his work interesting” – perhaps with a flick of your hair. If your friends continue to mock you, it might be worth calmly telling them that you know they don’t share your interest, but you’d appreciate it if they stopped. Failing that, consider finding new friends.

I find it equally uncomfortable talking to senior figures in the artworld about things I don’t like at all – especially when everyone agrees an artist is ‘good’. And I’m an art critic! I am aware that anything I say boils down in the end to my own subjective, personal experience of the world, the arbiters of taste and aesthetics I’ve been exposed to, my politics, my education, etc.

Sometimes something just lacks soul, and sometimes you don’t like the colours. There’s a painter I don’t get at all who is doing very well at the moment, and to me, it just looks like a messy, poorly chosen colour palette and boring brushwork, with a load of meaning chucked on top in the accompanying text as an afterthought.

Being able to explain why we do or don’t like things is good, but we should also be allowed to enjoy or hate things without constantly analysing the reasons for our response. Perhaps the hype around Banksy has influenced you a little, but we’re all influenced by the world around us. That doesn’t mean your appreciation is fake. You can question an artist’s reputation and still find their work meaningful. Thinking critically about what you like is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t stop you from enjoying it altogether.

You asked whether it’s ridiculous to feel embarrassed about liking an artist. Not at all. It’s natural to want acceptance from your friends, especially when their opinions matter to you. However, friendship shouldn’t require you to hide parts of yourself just to fit in. You don’t have to prove that your taste is good.

Sometimes, the most confident thing you can do is simply enjoy what you enjoy, even when nobody else understands why.