[startupfounder]

In the eyes of the New York City Government what Banksy is doing is vandalism[1]:

"§ 10-117. Defacement of property, possession, sale and display of aerosol spray paint cans, [and] broad tipped markers and etching acid prohibited in certain instances."

Graffiti is a Sand Mandala[2], it is art and it is beautiful because of it's guaranteed impermanence. If Banksy's vandalism wasn't vandalized or taken down or painted over it wouldn't be as powerful as it is. It is a symbiotic relationship like a flower and a bee.

To learn about NYC graffiti history watch Style Wars[3] a 1982 documentary on the NYC scene.

[1]http://www.nyc.gov/html/nograffiti/html/legislation.html [2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_mandala [3]http://vimeo.com/14911708

[jack-r-abbit]

> Graffiti is a Sand Mandala

Not exactly. The difference is that graffiti can not just be swept up or blown away with a leaf blower like sand. At a minimum, it must be painted over. Sometimes this results in large patches of mismatched colors on a wall. In more extreme cases, it is not possible to just paint over it so it must be scrubbed off.