Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. We’ll miss you Banksy. Hopefully you’ll show up in another city soon. San Francisco? Oakland?

Meanwhile regarding the auction of “The banality of the banality of evil,” the latest big (10:08 am PST is $310,400. Bids will continue to be accepted at BiddingForGood until the auction ands at 5 pm PST today, Oct. 31, 2013.

On Banksy’s website is this text under the above photo: “An inflatable throw-up on the Long Island Expressway.”

And here’s the final audio guide:

Gothamist! has transcribed the audio:

Well, this is the last day of the show, and I’d like to say we’re going out on a high note. And, I guess in a way, we are. [Cue “New York, New York”] This is a sideways take on the ubiquitous spray-painted bubble lettering that actually floats. It’s an homage of sorts to the most prevalent form of graffiti in the city that invented it for the modern era. Or, it’s another Banksy piece that’s full of hot air.
So, what does the artist hope to have achieved with this so-called residency. Shame it didn’t get any press. He told me “If just one child has been inspired to pick up a can of paint and make some art–well that would be statistically disappointing considering how much work I put in.”
It’s been an interesting experiment, but is there a cohesive message behind it. I gave the artist two minutes to think of one.
Banksy asserts that outside is where art should live, amongst us. And rather than street art being a “fad,” maybe it’s the last thousand years of art history that are the blip. When art came inside in service of the church and institutions. But art’s rightful place is on the cave walls of our communities. Where it can act as a public service, provoke debate, voice concerns, forge identities.
The world we live in today is run, visually at least, by traffic signs, billboards, and planning committees. Is that it? Don’t we want to live in a world made of art, not just decorated by it?
Thanks for coming.
[Fireworks]

If you missed my previous Banksy posts, here’s an easy way to check them out: Day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day six, day seven, day eight, day nine, day ten, day 11, day 12, day 13, day 14, day 15, day 16, day 17, day 18, day 19, day 20, day 21, day 22, day 23, day 24, day 25, day 26, day 27, day 28, day 29, day 30. Plus: “A Consideration Of The Politics Of Banksy’s Syria Video,” “Source For Banksy’s ‘Concrete Confessional’ Revealed,” and “Banksy Update: NYC Mayor Attacks Street Artist.”