“The Art of Banksy,” is the world's largest traveling exhibition of the globally-recognized street artist, Banksy. Banksy began his career as an unlicensed graffiti artist in Bristol. Over the course of a decade, the artist staged some of the most outlandish, anarchic, press-worthy, politically motivated, and publicly engaging exhibitions ever seen in the UK and internationally.
Without a doubt, Banksy's notoriety sprang from the illicit artworks he created on the streets. Passers-by were struck by Banksy's signature stencil aesthetic, which he paired with satirical and hilarious themes.
The exhibition, which runs until the 22nd of May, features some of his most valuable privately owned works. Individuals previously acquired the pieces on display from Banksy himself. The owners of these pieces all have one thing in common: they desire to share them with the world rather than having them collect dust in their homes or storage. They believe they deserve to be noticed. It's important to point out that The Art of Banksy is not authorized by him and is not curated in collaboration with him. All artworks are loaned from private collectors.
The exhibition covers pretty much all there is to learn about the artist. For those who don't know much about Banksy, it is an excellent opportunity to view his works and see some of his prints and understand why he commands such a huge following. There weren't many originals there seeing that most of his originals are graffiti and murals on walls. Most of the pieces were reproductions, so anyone planning to go to the exhibition shouldn’t expect to see many of his originals. However, the exhibition provides a great overview of all of his different art and allows you to see what he does and get a sense of what inspires him.
Ironically, exiting the exhibition premises requires you to pass through a gift shop at the end. I found that quite ironic since most of Banksy's work, a lot of his work is anti-capitalist. A gift shop stocking some items one might consider capitalist waste such as mugs, tote bags, and t-shirts is in my view the epitome of capitalism. People already own most of such items and they do not necessarily need more of them.
Also, some of his works incorporate animals in many different ways that could PETA and animal rights watchers may consider disturbing or potentially animal them so PETA and pet lovers may not be particularly amused by such pieces, and understandably so.
That said, I found most of his creations very intriguing. There was one in particular which stood out. It was a piece of helicopter graffiti that he'd painted over after probably finding or buying it somewhere. It was really interesting because it struck me as a collaboration of artwork. One could also say that he’d co-opted somebody else's artwork and vandalized it to make it his own or make a statement through it. It would be interesting to know what people would think if he did that with a more high-profile artist’s work.
All in all, his artworks were quite thought-provoking and hilarious. The exhibit would certainly have any art enthusiast going back the next time it comes around.
