This image, titled Mobile Lovers (2014) shows two people, one man and one woman. They are in each other’s arms as if they are about to kiss.
This artwork was done by a graffiti artist named Banksy. Banksy has remained anonymous, but over the years more and more information about him has been released. He was born in 1974 in Bristol, United Kingdom. Banksy is a political activist and film director. His style is a combination of subversive epigrams and dark humor to send very powerful messages that leave room for interpretation from the viewers. His art is done through a graffiti stenciling technique. Typically, Banksy makes his artwork overnight. A graffiti artist must work fast since it is an illegal form of art and getting caught could put them in jail for vandalism.
This specific piece of artwork, Mobile Lovers, created in April 2014 in Banksy’s hometown of Bristol, conveys the message of the importance of living in the moment. In today’s society, people are consumed by technology and living their lives through their phones. However, living through a phone deprives a person of making real-life connections with people. This piece of art was influenced by this overpowering use of technology. Banksy feels that people are spending too much time on their phones and social media and not enough time living in the moment with the people they genuinely care about. The couple in the artwork are acting as if they are paying attention to each other, but their attention is focused on their phones. People are spending more time talking through the phone than face to face, so they are not actually creating a connection with the other person. It is nearly impossible to go out to a public place and see people completely focused on another person. Everyone is too busy on their phones worrying about things that do not matter at the moment. Living in the moment is the best way to appreciate life and all the opportunities and connections a person can have.
Banksy realizes the effect that technology and phones have on our relationships. His graffiti is an extremely relatable message and addresses one of the most concerning issues in modern-day society.
Written by Kyleigh Dalkin