Hidden Value


Banksy, the world famous artist, has been doing a month long “residency” on the streets of New York.  My favorite “exhibit” was the stall he set up in Central Park, offering signed, original Banksy pieces for $60.  


The context in which we find things often determines how we value them.  The point Banksy was making is that “value” is really just hype.  Those same paintings displayed in a gallery would cause people to fight each other to pay $300,000 for them. Stripped of the cultural signifiers that tell us what’s “important”, the Banksy pieces appeared worthless. 

 Nobody thought these paintings were valuable because nobody expects to find anything valuable on the street.  

 I once paid $100 to see Feist perform at the National Arts Center but I’ve never given more than $5 to a homeless person.  


 Word Count: 140

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