The Art of the Window Display

This is a kind of holiday-inspired story I wrote, even though window dressers work all year round. It was fascinating to learn was just how artistically driven these crafty workers can be and also how utterly detailed oriented the whole process is. Here’s a gasp-worthy display from Bergdorf’s from the limited-edition book by Tashen, followed by my article.

From new limited-edition book “Windows at Bergdorf Goodman” released by Assouline. A Compendium of Curiosities III: Illogical Lexicons and Convivial Characters, Holiday 2009. With Jay Soonthornsawad. Fabricated entirely in paper. Sculpture by Biak Kerdkan, Matt Northridge, and James Vance. Inspired by “Alice” books by Lewis Carroll.

* This article originally appeared in the Montreal Gazette and online versions in the Calgary Herald, the Star Pheonix, the Windsor Star and on Canada.com.

“Window Wonderland” 

Take the imagination of Dali and swirl it into the colour sensibility of Klimt. Then pour the mixture into a curvy mould clad in lingerie, and pop on 24 heads. Only then will you be halfway able to grasp the macabre and magnificence required to dress the windows at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Ave. in New York.

“Minimalism is great. Maximalism, too. What we avoid is mediumism,” writes David Hoey, senior director of visual presentation at Bergdorf’s, in the preface of Windows at Bergdorf Goodman, recently released by Assouline. This mother of all

coffee table books (it costs $560) catalogues the awe-inspiring storefront windows created by Hoey and Linda Fargo, senior vice-president of fashion office and store presentation. Displays include two giant polar bears in a wrestling ring, a wedge wearing tightrope walker and a series of enchanted forests, razzle dazzle assemblages inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” books.

Bergdorf’s elaborately themed window spaces, which span the block between 57th and 58th Sts., are changed almost weekly, revealing a shocking rebirth of imagination. Each space is about four metres high and a mere 1.2 metres deep.

Whether to attract the attention of fast-paced denizens in Manhattan or to please the savvy shoppers of Montreal, window displays are a spectator’s delight. Especially in late November and December, when store owners treat shoppers to the nostalgia of Christmas lights mixed with innovative whimsy.

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A men’s fashion trilogy, new Americana

 

*This article first appeared in the Montreal Gazette, and then went viral online at Canadian Postmedia newspapers including the Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, etc.

 

Here’s a little something for the fellas. This fall I was inspired by the new Americana or Heritage look for men and wrote about it on three separate occasions (one’s on ties, another on man bags, and the last is a Q&A with two store owners). I think it’s a great, cozy style, esp. when pulled off correctly!

These mini articles are different from the long, feature stories I typically post on this website — which, btw, is a forum to showcase my work, not to reprint every single article I write in the earnest ambitions of getting sued! (If you wanna read my shorter articles on a regular basis, please Google!!). Thanks for understanding, kind reader.

It’s Dave’s cousin Gilad (hence the giant photo)! He’s modeling for new online tie company Dolbeau.ca. Note the man-bag too, which is article #2 in this man fashion article trio.

MEN OF TIES, Part 1 of new Americana Men’s Fashion

A slightly dishevelled dapper look is all the rage these days in menswear, according to David Caplan and David Gross.

Citing what’s in this fall, the founders of Dolbeau.ca, a new online custom neckwear company based in Montreal, say keep the jeans and button down, throw on a cozy sweater or blazer, but add a personalized flare -say a floral themed bow tie or perhaps a plaid woolly skinny tie.

“In Montreal, it’s not usual yet, but in Toronto bow ties are becoming more popular,” says Caplan, sporting a bow tie himself. “I wear it everywhere,” he says.

“In Scandinavia and Italy, they’re popular also,” says Gross, wearing one of his custom designed solid ties.

Gross was inspired to launch Dolbeau.ca, named after his grandmother’s street in Outremont, after reading men’s fashion blogs like valetmag.com, getkempt.com, streetpeeper.com and thesartortialist.blogspot.com. He says these blogs, not the runway shows, are dictating fashion today.

“Men are looking for special accessories,” Gross says, and the “workingman Americana” look is the prominent style.

“Bow ties or ties are a great way of expressing yourself and standing out,” he adds.

To keep the look unique, all Dolbeau.caties are custom made.

They’re sewn here in Montreal with the fabric imported from such countries as Germany, Italy, France and the United States.

Customers choose their own two-tone pattern, width, tip and tie length (shorter for petite fellows and longer for taller gents or those with large necks).

“We’re catering to people who know their own taste,” Gross says. “It’s a one of a kind piece for a one of a kind person.”

Custom ties are $119, and bow ties are $89, both plus tax in Quebec, and available for purchase on Dolbeau.ca.

A customized line by boutique Rooney, which includes solid-coloured narrow wool ties and diamond tip bow ties, is available at Rooney on 395 Notre Dame St. W. in Old Montreal and rooneyshop.com.

Lookbook
One of the Dolbeau.ca founders David Caplan.

 

Man Bags All The Rage, Part 2 of New Americana Men’s Fashion

Scott (the Sartorialist) Schuman helped to raise the mystique of WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie bags, founded by Montrealers Dexter and Byron Peart, by last year featuring the brand in the SartoriaLUST pop-up shop at Barneys New York. These days, men of all types, not just street-style photographers, are coveting a good bag to lug around their gadgets.

“Men are constantly travelling with smart phones, iPads, iPods, keys, wallets, pens, passports, etc.,” Dexter Peart said. “There’s a legitimate need for small bags that offer the same function as a lady’s purse, (but) something that retains a certain masculinity.”

So call it a man bag, a “murse” or even just a bag. Just make sure it serves several purposes.

According to the Peart bothers, their O’Hare tote, which comes in leather or organic cotton, is a hit because it has a minimalist design and can be used for multiple purposes.

Still, they agree that most men need four bags: a computer bag, a shoulder bag/ knapsack, an overnight bag and a tote.

“We try to create products that adapt to the contrasting environment that we live in,” Byron Peart said.

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A Filson briefcase from ronneyshop.com. See interview below.

 

Q&A with owners of Boutique Rooney

Alex Danino and Michelle Golfman, who are husband and wife, own Rooney, a men’s and women’s clothing boutique at 395 Notre Dame St. W. in Old Montreal. Next to the shop’s ever-fashionable women’s tops and sweaters, there is a “well curated” assortment of Americana men’s fashion. 514-543-6234. www.rooneyshop.com.

How did you come up with the store’s concept -or, first of all, what would you call the store’s concept?

Alex: Well, it’s a unisex store, and, at this moment, it’s probably split 60 per cent on the men’s side and 40 per cent on the women’s. It’s becoming a bit more of a lifestyle shop, too, with a variety of interesting things that all go toward the same aesthetic, really, be it through books or accessories or whatever. But you asked what the concept is, right?

Yep.

Alex: Well, the aesthetic is my own personal evolution. Initially when we opened the store (five years ago), it was more of a streetwear –

Michelle: Younger.

Alex: Yeah, younger and the commodities were a bit more affordable. There were more T-shirts, hoodies, button-downs and denim. Footwear was more on the sneaker side. Then I turned 30 and then I was sort of like, ‘you know what? I want to get into more of a mature feel.’

So, how are the clothes different now?

Alex: I got into more formal footwear, more like an Oxford-style. And then the brands that I was personally starting to be passionate about, a lot of them are starting to manufacture in North America or sourcing fabrics from Italy and Portugal, so the prices went up, too. But that’s not every product -there’s a real mix. I don’t want button-downs to be above $200. We try to make it affordable. We even have button-downs starting at $70.

I see a lot of plaid button-downs here. How is a $200 plaid shirt here different than one, say, at H&M for about $20?

Alex: Well, you know, they cut corners. They offer a product for really, really cheap and they save money because they need to cut corners somewhere.

Michelle: And they sell to mass.

Alex: Yeah, and so there are two things. You end up with a product that’s not going to last you and then you end up with a product that maybe every one of your friends is going to be in. Although the second part might not be as important, I think the first part is because you’ll end up with a product that will probably fall apart.

And how long should a plaid shirt from here last?

Alex: Well, I mean, hopefully, maybe 10 years, maybe more. And a lot of these products get better with age. Like some of the fabrics they’re using are wax cottons, canvas, denim -and they age well. They get these patinas when you wear them. If you have a wallet in a certain position or if you have something always there like keys, you have your own personal wear, which is kind of cool.

So, it’s a preppy, over-30, worn patina look -is that the style you’re now selling?

Alex: I guess you could call preppy, or you could call it Americana or even Canadiana, like local stuff that’s made in the U.S. or Canada. Also, there’s a resurgence in heritage brands that have actually been around for over 100 years, like woollen products from Pendleton and Woolrich. Then there’s Filson and Red Wing boots that still make the same products. The overall aesthetic is influencing a lot of the new designers, too.

How does a guy wear these heritage products in a modern style, though? Like, right there I see plaid flannel shirt. I mean, what do you call that style of plaid again?

Alex: Blanket check.

Right. So, on the mannequin you’ve put a blanket check button-down shirt, with a tie and an over-sweater: What’s that look about?

Alex: It’s the prints, the patterns, the fabrics that are blended together. It’s not just a white shirt with a black blazer and a black tie. This is texture, which is cool. Because there’s like flannel with a pattern and then the thicker woolly texture. And then you have a tie with its own really interesting weave. So, together you’ve got more of an outdoorsy feel as opposed to something that, say, a banker or an accountant might wear.

Where would a guy wear that kind of outfit?

Alex: To be honest, anywhere and always. I see a guy walking out of his house, you know, or if you’re working in a creative field from marketing to advertising to an Internet company. And it’s cool to see because it’s been a good response. People even younger than guys in their 30s are taking this kind of trend into their lives. Guys as young as high school.

We even sell this book that was a reissue from the 1960s.

I see: Take Ivy, by Teruyoshi Hayashida.

Alex: Yeah, it was made in 1965 by a Japanese photographer and all these images are Ivy League campuses in the ’60s and the fashion is exactly the same today. The things they’re wearing (points to a picture of check Bermuda shorts) are exactly what I sold this summer. It’s really kind of interesting how it’s come full circle, though in more slightly updated ways.

What are some of those updates?

Alex: They’re less boxy. They’re a little more tailored and fitted. But they’ll still have some of the original features like box pleats in a shirt, or button-down collars, but at the same time more of a modern fit.

What do you think is responsible for the resurgence in this style of men’s fashion?

Alex: Good question. Obviously, it’s always been around with J. Crew and things. But now it’s become more popular starting about 31/2 years ago, where you started getting a lot of blogs who are interested in these products, and really going after these old brands. And then it started trickling into the designers.

Michelle: And then there are TV shows like Mad Men and people are wanting to bring that back.

Alex: Yeah. And even now on Boardwalk Empire they dress amazingly; all the clothing’s phenomenal.

Do your customers buy separate pieces or the entire look?

Alex: Overall, it’s the whole aesthetic, the whole package that you see all together. Like some guy in Australia bought a pair of Bass shoes on our online shop, which is an old company that’s easy to find, but it was just packaged on my website. So this guy got a blazer from Our Legacy, a pair of shoes from Bass, I think maybe a book also.

What’s your average customer like?

Alex: Anywhere from 20 to 40. There’s a good section of tourists who come through and then there are a lot of locals. We also have people coming back from Toronto and New York who go on these foodie-type trips.

So your heritage clothes are on the upswing with local gourmand cuisine?

Alex: Yeah, except sadly, there aren’t a lot of Montreal or Canadiana heritage brands. We carry Naked and Famous from Montreal, who do quite well –

Michelle: Otherwise, there’s a mixture of American, Swedish, British …

You’ve described your store as “well-curated” before. What do you mean by that?

Alex: That I take an obscene amount of time to research some of the products. It’s all I do and I love doing it. So, it’s really my passion. I spend all day long looking at products, blogs, seeing what people are doing out there. I look at everything.

Michelle: And all night. All day, all night -it’s true.

Alex: We always focus on the quality of the product, and backstory is important. I want to tell customers where the product is from, who the designer is, so they can walk away knowing what they just bought.

Michelle: It’s that or H&M. Alex: And guys want product. They want product that can last, that are made by hand. That’s what this store is about. It’s not to say that China doesn’t make good product -we sell product made in China, they’re known for knit and they have some of the best machinery -it’s just that the English mill worker has history. They’ve been doing it for 150 years. Wax cotton is part of their tradition. If you wanna get the best product, you have to ask ‘where is it from?’ and ‘where did it originate?’

Social Photography 101 and the SELFIE; Becoming Master of your iPhoto Domain is all about Planned Casualness

How to pose for the oh-so-casual selfie?

098

Hair up with whispers of a come-hither look?…. OR

100
… Hair down and a pearly white, off-kilter smile?

As you can see from my webpage photo, I tend to prefer the sultry look. Regardless, since it took me a zillion tries to even get those semi-decent photos, I think I should practice my casual pic pose a little more!

*The article below appeared, in full or in part, in The Montreal Gazette, The Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Journal, and The Province.

Social Photography 101

The camera doesn’t love me. It doesn’t quite loathe me, either. Occasionally, it warms up to my crooked nose and zigzag smile. But based on the law of averages, I can safely predict that I’d rather see most shots taken of me disappear into the vast digital universe where they came from.

Unfortunately, they often pop up on someone else’s Flickr photo montage or Facebook page. But I’m trying to get over it. Online photo albums and social networking sites are flourishing, and embedded cameras on cellphones, iPhones and computers give millions of new photo diarists endless opportunities to showcase their skill.

And true, the skill can get ugly. Much like most new art forms, social photography — photographs intended to be shared with a large network of people — is one that beats to the most unusual sensibility. Formalities like posing or centring the shot become extraneous. Rather, it’s all about documenting your own real-time narrative, and you don’t even need a third party to help you do it.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, all you need to do is to reach out your arm, aim somewhere around your nose and snap, flash or click! You’ve got a perfectly acceptable self-portrait, aka “Selfie”, to post online. An instructional online slide show running with the piece explained that these shots should look fun and slightly off-kilter. And, like the self-portrait artist Cindy Sherman, funny costumes are welcome, too.

Whether it’s a wonky selfie, or you posting a few action shots of your pals, photography this millennium is certainly not what it used to be. But, like everything else that looks effortlessly cool, major preparation is often involved.

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Flash sales blow up

Thanks to a tip from a friend, the outnet.com is one of my favorite new flash sale websites. Even though the labels are exclusive, the site doesn’t insist upon that “members only” policy. The above patterned dresses by Pucci, Matthew Williamson, and Erdem (respectively), were all available for a very limited time on the website at over 60% to 70% off.

*This article appeared orignally in the Montreal Gazette and on the Canada.com network.

At a large warehouse in St. Laurent, in a newly crafted photo studio, Alisa Pysaryeva, a model from Folio agency, strikes a pose in a Whitney Eve dress. A few doors down in another studio, a mint green Balenciaga handbag is being puffed and positioned for its photo op. Luxury handbags are lined up, awaiting their turns.

Photo shoots like these happen daily at Beyond the Rack, a Montreal company that sells discount Gucci, Juicy Couture and lesser-known brand-name items at online “flash sales.” A flash sale means that bargain items -typically last season’s overstock and sample pieces reduced in price by 40 to 70 per cent -are available only for a brief, limited time.

For Beyond the Rack’s shoppers, that’s a mere 36 hours after the sale opens at 11 a.m., when a mass emailing alerts customers to the latest deals -like the Balenciaga bag going for $1,599 instead of the original $2,095. Buyers then act fast. Not only will the company’s million-plus customers be vying for the same discount items, but when the time’s up, the “flash sale” is extinguished.

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Far beyond Beyond the Rack -indeed, over the border and across the sea -similar flash sale websites are scorching through the Internet. Popular sites, all ending with a . com, include Gilt Groupe, Haute-Look, Vente Privee, RueLaLa, Enviius, Ideeli and Fashion Vault (eBay’s latest attempt get into the game). Each has its own photo studios, models and designer labels, and each insists that its customers are really “private members”-that is, to get daily emails about these flash sales, shoppers must be invited to join the website by a friend, or request a membership online.

Even if practically everyone who signs up for most of these sites is accepted, it’s a tactic that helps turn potential waste into a desirable commodity.

“Like a bouncer with velvet ropes, you’ve got to create a fence, a barrier around these clearance items,” says Beyond the Rack CEO Yona Shtern.

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Your mind on brain games

“Bird Safari: Featured in the visual-training program InSight, this game asks players to recall a specific bird — flashed on the screen for only an instant – out of a flock. InSight costs $395 U.S. online through Posit Science.”

*This article appeared, in full or in part, in the Montreal Gazette, the Vancouver Sun, the Ottawa Citizen, GlobalNational Television, the Windsor Star, the Edmonton Journal, and more.

Before I begin listing the latest computer games and expert tips on how best to improve your brain fitness, like push-ups for normal aging and forgetful minds, here are some thoughts from my grandma, a foxy eighty-something:

“Don’t tell me to do those puzzles. They just rock me into insensibility,” she said. “My brain moves too fast to begin with. In less than five minutes, I’m trying to remember when your grandpa’s next doctor’s appointment is, and whether we need coffee cream, God forbid.

“Meanwhile your grandpa starts hollering, ‘Where’s my walking stick? Where’s my hearing aid?’ And while I’m standing on my head looking for his stuff, the oatmeal pot boils over. Anyhow, you’re nuttier than a fruitcake if you think getting old is like a bowl of cherries,” she said

Fortunately for my grandmother, wisdom isn’t lost with age as easily as walking sticks.

“Some things don’t decline,” says Fergus Craik, a leading cognitive psychologist based in Toronto and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Memory.”For example, people in their 50s and 60s tend to have better vocabulary and word knowledge (than younger people). And knowledge of the world seems to hold up with age, as do skilled procedures like mental arithmetic or playing piano, if you still practice.”

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Looking Good in Green

THE-GAZETTE

Weekend Life cover, Montreal Gazette.

*This article also appeared, in full or in part, in The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald, The Windsor Star, The Leader Post, The Star Phoenix and in industry blogs like ecofashionworld.com and payitforward.org.

It’s vegan, eco-friendly, fair-trade, made locally – and proceeds help impoverished children! The latest do-gooder fashion companies are certainly setting some high standards.

Toms Shoes, based in Santa Monica, Calif., is giving away a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair purchased. British giant Marks and Spencer has adopted a mission – “Plan A” – to become carbon neutral and to stop sending waste to landfills by 2012.

Meanwhile, Paris’s yearly Ethical Fashion Show, a trade event featuring conferences, workshops and runway shows centred on ecological and social matters, is touring cities such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin and Milan through next year.

The sustainable-fashion movement is blowing up like a big green balloon, with innovative companies finally adding corporate responsibility to the bottom line.

Problem is, as a consumer, after you try on those perfect-fitting jeans, in the 30 seconds it takes to walk to the cash register, it’s nearly impossible to start weighing ecological matters such as water waste and land use, or ethical matters, such as labour conditions and charity causes.

“Most people get overwhelmed and turn it off,” said Lindsay Coulter, a.k.a. the Queen of Green for the David Suzuki Foundation.

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The curious rise of mega-heels

High-heel

Fendi peep-toes, $795, about six inches. Photograph by: Marie-France Coallier, The Gazette.

*This article was on Most Read list of The National Post and the Montreal Gazette. It also appeared, in full or in part, in The Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Global TV Edmonton, Windsor Star, dose.ca, and more.

Last month, my boyfriend and I were strolling on New York’s Upper East Side when a thwack of thunder sent us running for shelter at Orsay, a posh bistro. Cocktails!

As our drinks made their way across the floor, so did a pair of six-inch black stiletto pumps — jaw-dropping in their height — followed closely by a tiny pair of patent Mary Janes.

The pumps were worn by a sleek-looking, petite mommy accompanied by her smartly dressed daughter. They were soon joined by another decked-out duo.

A play date over tuna tartar and six-inch heels?

I’m so happy we could finally get together,” said one woman as she kiss-kissed the other hello.

The toddlers took off squealing through the bistro.

Through rainstorms and recessions, heels have been soaring to absurdly decadent heights — from four-inch stilettos to six-plus inch pumps.

To add extra height, toe areas are stacked with platforms measuring anywhere from one-to-two-inches, which are either exposed in tiers or hidden with fabric.

And while one might expect skyscraper heels in Manhattan, they’ve also been kicking it in Canada.

The over-the-top trend is not coming down anytime soon — even though critics of the look are aplenty. (Vogue’s editor-at-large, Andre Leon Talley, has called high high heels towering torture chambers.)

“A woman just came in and bought three pairs of (our highest) shoes,” said Ivry Rosenstein, surrounded by tissue paper.

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Refashion beloved pieces so they look like this season’s must-haves

Refashion

Hossein Padar turned a vintage Missoni Size 10 blazer into a Size 4. Photograph by: JOHN KENNEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE.
*This article appeared, in full or in part, in The Montreal Gazette, The National Post, The Financial Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Times Colonist, The Edmonton Journal, Global TV Regina, and more.
I have a leather jacket that’s been rebuilt twice already. Each time it costs about $100. I just can’t seem to part with its perfect fit and buttery worn leather — or justify spending $600 on a new one. New boots or shoes? All it takes is $24 to make a pair of vanity heels downtown-proof with a set of rubber treads. That way my darling soles will remain intact until irreparable scuffs do us part.

Behind-the-scenes tailors and shoemakers make this one-woman fashion show go on.Like a modern-day Scarlett O’Hara weaving her drapes into a gown, I’m a diva who will always dress to impress — even if my fortunes or circumstances dictate otherwise. And my need for these trusted helpers is hardly rare.

The best wardrobes I’ve seen are amassed by ladies who conquer their inner fashion victim with the help of a tailor. Perhaps she’s too stout, too shapeless or too lopsided underneath it all? Or maybe she’s an impulse buyer who needs to spruce up all those non- returnable items? No matter — she knows exactly where to turn to stay on top of her game.

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Part I, Sultry and Sleeveless; click for part II, History of Asymmetrical

BCBG

One-Shouldered Dress on BCBG Runway.

*This article appeared, in full or in part, in the Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, National Post, The Edmonton Journal, Global TV, and more. With special thanks to shrimptoncouture.com!

The one-armed Jane — Tarzan’s gal pal — is coming on strong this summer on the runways, red carpets and Winners outlets near you.

Asymmetrical tops pull the eye in all sorts of directions, from the arm to the neck and up to the face, so all that extra effort had better point our gaze somewhere worthwhile. For edgy gals, it may lead our eyes to a flower or even a turban — which is what Kate Moss wore with her silver asymmetrical mini Marc Jacobs dress to a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in May.

But ladies who can direct our eyes toward something symbolically large — like toward hope, to a baby, or a dashing new president — are the ones who’ve truly dazzled in asymmetrical in the last year.

Think of Michelle Obama at the Inaugural Ball in January with her white chiffon Jason Wu gown. The new president’s goofy smile said it all: “How good-looking is my wife?” a charmed Barack Obama asked the press that night. Like a moving statue — not a dinky trophy — the first lady’s dignified drape swished as she danced. Her bold character, paired with that classical dress, made her the perfect embodiment of a Greek goddess.

Other memorable asymmetrical looks this year were worn by breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate at the Screen Actors Guild awards (in green) and Heidi Klum, who donned an off-the-shoulder disco silver mini dress, with a cape, to the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards in June. Her look was radiant, especially with her enormous pregnant belly.

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Graffiti Avant-Garde Art

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SKAM painting Louis Vuitton store (*This article appeared, in full or in part, in The Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette, The Edmonton Journal, The Calgary Herald, and more.)

 

It’s been sprayed on trains and scrawled across skyscrapers. This year, it was even splattered on Louis Vuitton handbags.

When, exactly, did graffiti get so glamorous?

Painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) and Keith Haring (1958-1990) first brought graffiti into the avant-garde art world during the ’80s, though both passed away as their careers were launching.

Today, second generation vandals-turned-artists are earning critical respect and commercial success in the worlds of art and fashion in Canada and worldwide, leaving many hooligans with trickster smiles on their faces.

One by the name of Banksy (b. 1974) from the U.K. fetches up to $500,000 for his graffiti-inspired artwork. His pieces include a reproduction of Andy Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe, but using Kate Moss’s image instead; another piece features a live elephant painted like wallpaper. Despite his successful tongue-in-cheek gallery work, Banksy continues to post his graffiti all over the world in places like New Orleans, London and Israel. He keeps his identity secret to evade police and border patrols.

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