Photo by Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC
A memorial where Banksy's "Caution," a parody of the migrant family freeway sign - flying a kite - was cut out of the wall at First and Soto Streets, February 28, 2011
Will an online contest to “fill in” the space left on a Boyle Heights wall after street artist Banksy’s version of the running-family migrant freeway sign draw more immigration-themed political art?
The culture blog Remezcla has launched a “Fill in the Blank-sy” art contest asking readers, ”What would you put in this spot’s space now that Banksy’s work has been stolen?”
A Multi-American post yesterday explored the brief life of a stencil by the elusive British artist, in town for the Oscars as a best-documentary nominee, which depicted the familiar freeway sign showing a running family of three. Only in this case, the characters against the yellow background were depicted flying a kite.
The stencil at First and Soto Streets in Boyle Heights was defaced and later removed on Friday; at least two nearly identical stencils were documented around town, including one on a Boyle Heights bridge (also gone), although those weren’t claimed officially on Banksy’s website.
Among the contest rules posted by Remezcla, which will accept entries through the month:
2. The message of the piece can be the same as the original or completely different, but in keeping with Banksy’s political style and overall message.
It would be interesting if the contest produced a new crop of running-family themed political art.
