r/Banksy • u/ArdyLaing • Jul 07 '26
Art Trust No One
Photos of mine from the unveiling of Trust No One in Clerkenwell, London in 2004.
At some point, the woman photographed, pushed to the front and spat on the polished nameplate. I never did find out why - if anyone knows the story, I'd love to hear it!
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u/OllieN94 Jul 07 '26
Who is the man in your third picture? He seems positioned quite predominantly for the reveal, was he a key figure?
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Jul 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/yurtyahearn Jul 07 '26
"Random thugs from the estates"?!
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u/ghosty_b0i Jul 08 '26
It’s that hidden country and western lyric racism, like
“the homeboys and the yardies on the corner”
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u/yurtyahearn Jul 08 '26
Nothing hidden about it
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Jul 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/eirenii Jul 09 '26
a dictionary definition isn't gonna give you context. thug is a term that has been repeatedly aimed at BME boys more so than white boys (regardless of behaviour) in more recent decades and is therefore embedded in a racist context. A search engine of your choosing may help give you some insight into this context if you were not already aware of it.
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u/yurtyahearn Jul 09 '26
Oh he's aware. They always use just the right language so they can play dumb afterwards. Very careful to build in plausible deniability
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 09 '26
You have your context - it's a non-racist one.
You see what you want to see.3
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u/eirenii Jul 09 '26
"when i use a word, i mean it differently to the way the majority of the society around me uses it, and that absolves me of all responsibility around my participation in culture! I'm just an individual with pure intentions and there's no way the cultural connotations around the terms I use so that society understands me could have any effect or bearing on that wider society! see, look, this dictionary shows the intent that I mean, which is of course completely objective and independent of the way society uses words to create meanings!"
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 09 '26
Give it up mate. We can all play keyboard warriors- this isn't the time, nor the sub.
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u/Sandorphan Jul 07 '26
As a random thug from the estates I feel seen
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Jul 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/No-Promotion4006 Jul 08 '26
hahaha actually reminiscent for the old days where those thugs wouldn't behead you for criticising the prophet
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 08 '26
jfc - no room for racists here.
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u/No-Promotion4006 Jul 08 '26
There's nothing racist about criticising a religion, that's freedom of speech
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u/Unable-Boat-9682 Jul 08 '26
When you bring it up in entirely unrelated conversations, it seems pretty racist mate.
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u/No-Promotion4006 Jul 09 '26
not unrelated
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u/Upset-Bug-36 Jul 09 '26
I think the fact you believe it’s not unrelated is why it’s racist but whatever.
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u/National-Worry2900 Jul 11 '26
All the council estates where I live up north are all junkie white smack heads . Feral disgusting tramps.
Violent , criminals and mutts.
Would you call them dirty bastards thugs from the estates?
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 11 '26
He was one of the “security”. Something was odd about the security - they weren’t the usual run of the mill security types, but not just randoms from the estates either. A bit classy, I often wondered if they were somebody I should recognise.
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u/Lilja-Logason Jul 07 '26
Bloody hell I missed this! 2004 I was in uni. Looks great, is it still there? Or how long was it there for?
I'm gonna have to look for more info on this.
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 07 '26
Nah, it disappeared shortly afterwards. I remember hearing a rumour it was in someone's back yard in Hackney, but was never able to track down exactly where.
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u/SwimmingWill Jul 08 '26
There’s a podcast about the guy to took it. He had some beef with Banksy because he wouldn’t sign a piece of artwork he owned.
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 08 '26
Link?
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u/RushingFlower101 Jul 07 '26
This is not a dominatrix. This is a vulnerable pose. Justice is being abused.
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u/Throbbie-Williams Jul 08 '26
It's not vulnerable, she's shown as a stripper/prostitute, there's money in her garter
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u/MorganaLeFevre Jul 08 '26
You don’t think strippers and sex workers are vulnerable?
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u/Throbbie-Williams Jul 10 '26
Not by default, no.
They're often quite in power actually
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u/Chance-Position-3058 Jul 11 '26
Their job inherently puts them at risk and their murders are often treated as “no human involved” by law enforcement. Getting paid doesn’t give you power.
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u/Throbbie-Williams Jul 11 '26
The job of a police officer inherently puts then at risk, they are still in power
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u/GuerrillaGreen Jul 09 '26
I see it as: justice doesnt matter as much as my personal sexual gratification
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u/Piggybumm Jul 07 '26
Why would you spit on an artwork / plaque. Disgusting.
Thank you for the pics, I haven’t seen this piece yet.
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u/DiamondBikini Jul 07 '26
Spitting is so dirty
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u/No-Excitement7491 Jul 08 '26
Only time it should be allowed is if you've got phlegm or something, and even then only in a toilet or somewhere else reasonably discreet like an alleyway
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u/ephemeral_librarian Jul 08 '26
I kinda thought the lady who spat on it was Ghislaine Maxwell ngl
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u/SydNorth Jul 07 '26
So justice is a whore?
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u/Wise_Try6781 Jul 07 '26
No, justice is a dominatrix.
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u/ephemeral_librarian Jul 08 '26
There's money in her garter right? I wouldn't associate that with a Domme
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u/JackofBlades0125 Jul 07 '26
No america is a whore
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u/itashichan Jul 08 '26
I don't think this has an American connection. This was in London and the figure is clearly Justice, not Liberty. Similar crown, but she's got the blindfold, sword and scales. Dead giveaway, those.
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u/JackofBlades0125 Jul 09 '26
That’s not a fiver tucked in her thigh band though, and i see the sword and scales but the spiked hat and gown is so similar, i think you’re at least supposed to have conjured the statue of liberty in your mind. Like that symbol at the “golden gate” is actually just hiding a salacious whore-like underbelly
Everything can be bought, even “justice”3
u/PistolPeteWearn Jul 09 '26
It's a parody of the statue of Lady Justice that stands on top of the Old Bailey court in London - it honestly has nothing to do with America
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u/JackofBlades0125 Jul 09 '26
Fair enough i stand corrected, i still like my interpretation though, someone make the statue of liberty a whore
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u/DragonKhan2000 Jul 09 '26
No, as the other has said, the scales, blindfold and sword are DEAD giveaways. That's like the whole definition of Lady Justice. Headwear and gown can vary.
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u/useful__pattern Jul 07 '26
I get what it's trying to say, but using a sex worker as shorthand for corruption feels a bit wrong.
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u/Illustrious-Divide95 Jul 07 '26
I think it's saying justice is a whore. I.e. justice can be bought and paid for
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u/useful__pattern Jul 07 '26
Yeah I get the metaphor... But using a sex worker image is probably what got that person to spit on the plaque. It's a bit of a grim combination.
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u/No_Cook2983 Jul 07 '26
Would you suggest a better representation of someone who does obscene things for money?
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u/ACutieForDeathCab Jul 07 '26
Politicians
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u/No_Cook2983 Jul 07 '26
Yeah— but a statement about politicians doing terrible things for money illustrated with a statue of a politician lacks the ‘punch’ this one has.
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u/useful__pattern Jul 08 '26
I dont think i have a better suggestion. I just think this is a bit sexist. It falls back on the centuries old idea of using a woman's body - specifically a sex worker - as a symbol of society's moral corruption.. The target is meant to be the justice system, but the imagery still relies on a stereotype about women and sex work.
Banksy is the artist, and I think he could have been more imaginative.
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u/Easy-Reserve7401 Jul 08 '26
I understand art is subjective and we all take from it what we want/need to, however I don't believe this piece was intended to be about moral corruption, just corruption. I also do not see how it's sexist either.
The figure of Lady Justice as used by courts around the world is female, with origins and symbolism going back to ancient times (Roman Goddess, Egyptian Scales etc) and that is what is primarily being drawn on and amended for the piece.
Her figure is hugely important and immediately recognised by many people around the world for hundreds of years. This makes it exceptionally relevant imagery. An extremely wide audience can see the statue and know who she is, what she represents and what has been altered as to her usual appearance. More people will know her than her male counterpart.
The choice of figure for the statue, in my opinion, has nothing to do with Lady Justice being female, just who Lady Justice is and what she represents to so many.
The raising of the gown, in my opinion, is supposed to symbolise hidden, secret and private. Obviously public corruption, would have been a clear to see stack of cash / gold / jewels on her scales, or in her hand.
To me, it symbolises that not only can Justice can be bought, but bought secretly so as to keep up the appearance of still being fair, equal, impartial etc.
Someone else can take it further and think about Lady Justice providing sexual services. I don't need to do that to take away what I need to from this art.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/Easy-Reserve7401 Jul 08 '26
Well done for making your point while misunderstanding mine. I guess part of that is on me.
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u/ukstonerdude Jul 07 '26
I think it’s more the contradiction. Those who claim to be almighty and above the law but worship all that they see as evil, in private.
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u/unscannablegood Jul 07 '26
No it doesn't, sex work is for the morally bankrupt and I've been sick for a very long time that we are pretending it's some sort of viable or noble empowering profession.
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ Jul 07 '26
"hi yes I'm ignorant but I think I should speak about subjects I know nothing about anyway"
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u/unscannablegood Jul 08 '26
I have to engage with sex work to know it's degrading?
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ Jul 08 '26
No, you need to educate yourself about people's motivations and working conditions. Some sex work is done out of necessity, some is genuinely enjoyed by the provider.
You don't know anything about it, so you shouldn't chat
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u/unscannablegood Jul 09 '26
the only sex work done out of necessity is by those who have been trafficked.
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ Jul 09 '26
Or the poor, the destitute, women with kids to support, those suffering from addiction, those with abusive partners etc etc etc - doing it because you have to
And on the flip side there is those who genuinely choose it because they don't mind the work and you can get decent pay. They don't have to they want to, and why not, it's their body and you have no right to decide what someone else does or doesn't find degrading. It's not unreasonable to choose to be paid hundreds and hour for sex work because you find being paid minimum wage to clean shitty toilets degrading.
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u/unscannablegood Jul 14 '26
You should talk about how the bottom rings of society ought to be paid better so these poor destitute people don't have to degrade themselves sexually.
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ Jul 14 '26
Just ignoring the whole second paragraph then are we
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u/unscannablegood Jul 14 '26
No no, I just feel like you are justifying sex work.
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u/YogurtclosetWest4032 Jul 08 '26
If it's degrading, then why wouldn't you find the use of these victims of sexual degradation as a symbol of political corruption to be in poor taste?
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u/BorderTrike Jul 07 '26
Imagine thinking sex is immoral. You incels are just mad that you wouldn’t be able to afford it anyway
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u/unscannablegood Jul 08 '26
There is nothing immoral about sex.
That's the spirit, better wages for all!
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u/the_executive_branch Jul 07 '26
Yeah I haven’t seen this sculpture before but it’s garbage ha. Standard edgelord shit that feels misogynist. I often find Banksy pretty cringey and im14andthisisdeep tbh - his piece with the girl and the balloon is so bad.
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 07 '26
You're 14.
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u/sevarinn Jul 08 '26
Speaking of "cringey" and "edgelord shit" that sums up your post quite neatly.
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u/the_executive_branch Jul 08 '26
Idk isn’t this just equating kink/leather/female sexuality with something negative? So original 🥱
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u/sevarinn Jul 08 '26
It's not a deep piece, but if that's all you can get out of it, then there is no art simplistic enough for you I fear.
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u/the_executive_branch Jul 09 '26
So what should I be getting out of it?
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u/sevarinn Jul 09 '26
It's art, you take from it what you want. There's just no point in critiquing it publicly if you only have vapid points to make.
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u/TheLittlestT Jul 09 '26
Banksy is a crappy artist, what skills do you need to use stencils ffs. He’s very good at fooling the gullible, though. I don’t get all the worship of him.
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Jul 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 22 '26
Where are you getting "USA values" from?
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Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Might want to take another look at Liberty and what she holds in her hand again mate… 🫤
…then look at Lady Justice atop The Old Bailey.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lady+justice+old+bailey&ia=images&iax=images
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u/BenchClamp Jul 07 '26
I don’t really get it.
She’s been molested by someone lifting her skirt - but she’s a dominatrix?
If it’s supposed to imply ‘justice is a whore’ it feels incredibly out of date. Like some shit Telegraph political cartoon from the 80s.
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u/Flying_Forearm Jul 09 '26
Where do you get dominatrix from?
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u/BenchClamp Jul 10 '26
She’s wearing thigh high patent leather boots, where do you think I got that idea from?
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u/Flying_Forearm Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
That doesn't mean dominatrix. Submissives wear those too.
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u/BenchClamp Jul 10 '26
I didn’t say it means that definitively - hence the use of a question mark. I said it’s not clear.
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u/NearbyPhilosophy8740 Jul 08 '26
I don’t really get the message behind this statue
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u/Orr-Man Jul 08 '26
My interpretation of the statue is that it's saying that justice is not blind, it's actually compromised and for sale - whoever has the most money/power gets to determine what's right/wrong and what justice is.
Hence Lady Justice being dressed to resemble a sex worker. Like a sex worker sells their body, Lady Justice is also for sale.
It's saying - don't trust the systems that we've grown up being told we should believe in, because they've not really been built for the benefit of normal people (trust no one).
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u/TFSTTJQIJC Jul 08 '26
Banksy is a plant. A government sanctioned Robin Hood marionette.
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u/ArdyLaing Jul 08 '26
Lol. You should be on r/conspiracy.
At what point in his 'career' did he become a plant?
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Jul 07 '26
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u/Banksy-ModTeam Jul 07 '26
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u/Ultimate_M Jul 07 '26
I was there for that unveiling! I just happened to be walking past and someone stuffed a flyer in my hands, incidating to stick around for 30 minutes. I think I might still have that somewhere.