“Withus oragainstus”

by davidbjensen

Renowned renegade artist, Banksy, known for his bold street art and radical stance on the “War on Terror,” sure pulled a fast one when he surreptitiously hung this mockery of a specimen of the harlequin beetle, Acrocinus longimanus, in the American Museum of Natural History’s Hall of Biodiversity.

“Withus oragainstus”

With glued on plastic sidewinder missiles under jet fighter wings and a satellite dish protruding near the antennae, the artist’s commentary on this piece suggests it is “an outsider’s view of the modern American bug, bristling with listening devices and military hardware.”  Allegedly, the prank was executed as the artist and his accomplices staged an ostentatious gay lover’s quarrel to distract security guards while the piece was mounted to a column in the Hall of Biodiversity with Velcro.  It inconspicuously hung there for 5 days before anyone noticed or took action to remove it.  As an indisputable unique artwork, the glass-encased specimen, “Withus oragainstus,” is now housed in the AMNH Research Library’s Rare Book Collection.

Click here for the cataloged AMNH OPAC record of this work…and here for a related article.  Also, visit  Banksy’s website.