Graffiti artist Banksy strikes again - in Bethlehem

Elusive graffiti artist Banksy has struck again, this time in the Holy Land with a series of stencilled works on the security wall in Bethlehem.

The Bristol-born artist has adorned the West Bank barrier with six new images, including a dove wearing a flak jacket and a soldier being frisked by a young girl.

It coincides with the opening tomorrow of a new exhibition in Bethlehem which is aimed at bringing people to the West Bank to see the situation there first hand.

Banksy has adorned the West Bank barrier with six new images Banksy has previously painted on the 436-mile long concrete wall that borders large sections of the occupied territories. Constructed by Israel, the barrier has been condemned by activists and declared illegal by the United Nations. It now showcases the work of possibly the most well-known and popular graffiti artists around.

Also among the latest additions are a soldier checking the papers of a donkey and one of the artist's trademark rats next to a watch tower. Banksy, whose work was originally seen in Brighton and London's East End, is one of a number of celebrated graffiti artists who have daubed the West Bank wall over the last few weeks.

Santa's Ghetto will be open from tomorrow to Christmas Eve. Fans of Banksy, known to include Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, will be able to pick up original work by the artist but will have to visit the exhibition in person.

Banksy said: "If it is safe enough for a bunch of sissy artists then it is safe enough for anyone."

Banksy Pet Show

Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

At 89 7th Avenue between West 4th and Bleeker Street in the West Village of New York City, a pet shop opened four days ago without much fanfare. But after a closer look, this definitely isn’t your normal kind of pet store. You don’t find fish tanks, fluffy puppies and cute little kittens in the windows. No. Instead, a live leopard lounges on a tree in the window.

As you step inside it gets even more freaky, as you find McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets sipping barbecue sauce from a tray. A rabbit puts on her makeup. A CCTV camera nurtures its young. But at this point, don’t worry. It is only world famous street artist Banksy, who has pulled off a major secret ‘art scam’ again, reminiscent of the time when CCTV cameras caught him putting up his own paintings at MoMA.

Inside Banksy’s pet store, things get weirder and weirder as breaded fish swim in a large round bowl while hot dogs are living the high life under heat lamps in cages near the cash register. Apparently this is the first time Banksy has used animatronics, and the effect is astonishing.

This is Banksy’s first ever show in New York City--the others have been fakes--and the tiny storefront can only hold about 20 people at a time.

As always with Banksy, we can expect that as soon as people start reading this, photos and videos will be all over the web. But it is nothing like the real thing. So get down to Banksy’s Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill and experience the pet show for yourself.

One of our favorite things about what Banksy has done is that the entire show is completely visible to the public both day and night through the store front windows. And unless you're a hard core Banksy fan, or until someone like us tells you, it's absolutely impossible to know that the work has been done by Banksy. There are no paintings or graffiti in the entire space. (woostercollective)

Banksy Quotes

On Art:

I'd been painting rats for three years before someone said "that's clever, it's an anagram of art" and I had to pretend I'd known that all along.

On Initiative:

A lot of people never use their initiative because nobody told them to

On right and wrong:

Remember crime against property is not real crime. People look at an oil painting and admire the use of brushstrokes to convey meaning. People look at a graffiti painting and admire the use of a drainpipe to gain access.

On fame:

I have no interest in ever coming out. I figure there are enough self-opinionated assholes trying to get their ugly little faces in front of you as it is. You ask a lot of kids today what they want to be when they grow up, and they say, "I want to be famous." You ask them for what reason and they don't know or care. I think Andy Warhol got it wrong: in the future, so many people are going to become famous that one day everybody will end up being anonymous for 15 minutes. I'm just trying to make the pictures look good; I'm not into trying to make myself look good. I'm not into fashion. The pictures generally look better than I do when we're out on the street together. Plus, I obviously have issues with the cops. And besides, it's a pretty safe bet that the reality of me would be a crushing disappointment to a couple of 15-year-old kids out there.

On copyright infringement:

Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.