Banksy is an anonymous street artist, political activist, and film director. His works of social and political activism are featured throughout cities around the world. He has a dark sense of humor that is displayed in his distinct stenciling technique. I am always interested in finding his art as I travel to different cities where he has visited. It usually becomes somewhat of a scavenger hunt since many of the pieces have been vandalized or painted over.
Swing Girl is located in downtown LA. It was originally drawn in a car parking lot in downtown on Broadway. The “ing” portion of the parking sign had been whitewashed out to form Park with a young girl swinging from the letter A. As with most of Banksy’s artwork there is an element of social or political tones. Swing Girl clearly points out the lack of places for kids to play safely in this downtown area of Los Angeles. This piece appeared in 2010 a few days prior to the LA premiere of Banksy’s film Exit Through The Gift Shop.
I had some difficulty finding the piece once I arrived at the pinned location on Broadway because there is no longer a parking lot where the piece resides. I had to ask a parking attendant for the location and he pointed across the street where I could see the mural between two large buildings in an alley that was gated off to the general public. I have walked by this corridor over a dozen times and never noticed the painting so it was like discovering a hidden treasure.