The Art of Banksy has arrived at Media City, Salford until 8 January 2023. This exhibition has gathered 145 authenticated, iconic pieces from private collections across the globe.
Feature by Jean Hill
This fascinating exhibition has already brought Banksy’s era defining works to over one million people across the globe from Melbourne, Chicago, San Francisco, Sydney, Boston, Auckland, Toronto and London. This is a chance to experience the artist’s most well-known works, alongside those, previously, rarely seen.
Banksy began his career as a graffiti artist, who very nearly got caught ‘red paint handed’ quite early on. He then adopted a stencilled approach to speed up the process (his light bulb moment), to diminish the chances of being apprehended. His identity has never been revealed, though there is much speculation.
On to the exhibition. The starkness of the black back-drop worked really well: the atmosphere was electric (the images almost literally reach out to draw you in). His art works have era defining, historical significance that conjure up a creeping, uneasy feeling that something murky lurks just beneath the surface of things (the devil in the detail).
There is a real sense of the anarchy; political activism and pure whimsy in Banksy’s art work. He has made a difference by sharing his personal view of the world as counter-culture. There is detail about Banksy’s activism, oft time realised through graffiti, installations and happenings. ‘Girl with balloon’ sold for £1,042,000.and then partially destructed during auction, and a mischief of rats was let loose at the Crude Oil exhibition. It is a journey through political turmoil, capitalist goals, own goals, gains and losses. ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’ explores the consumerism of art. Banksy also depicts the damage done to those trapped in hostile environments without much of a voice. He sheds some light into dark corners.
Banksy’s art work has sold for many £millions. Bit of contradiction in terms, although almost certainly an unintended consequence of his fame. Green Day’s ‘Walking Contradiction’ lyrics: ‘Talk is cheap and lies are expensive’ might lead on to Banksy’s art being explosive and cutting through the stories we tell ourselves about how the world is organised. That’s what makes it all so intriguing.
Banksy’s artwork is characterized by striking images and thought provoking slogans. His work often engages political themes: critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed. Policemen can be seen kissing: which made me smile. Banksy is also known for his installation artwork. One featured a live elephant painted with a Victorian wallpaper pattern that caused consternation among animal rights activists. Literally the elephant in the room. I loved the Kate Moss image (leaning heavily on the iconic Marilyn Monroe ), as homage to Andy Warhol.
Banksy also engaged in the subversion of classic images. There is a Banksy version of Monet’s beautiful water lilies paintings, that includes drifting trash and debris. As Joni Mitchell would have it: ‘They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot’.
Banksy also writes books, which include ‘Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall’(2001), ‘Existencilism’ (2002), and Wall and Piece(2005) which documented his projects.
This is an important exhibition. I kept thinking about the phrase: ‘best of all possible worlds’, the words of an early modern philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. His thesis was that the existing world is the best world that God could have created. To counter that: there are choices to be made about how we create, inhabit and interact with the world, that come with serious consequences (sometimes, generally, too little understood). To write that Banksy’s art speaks volumes might seem trite: yet that is what I take from this exhibition.
The Art of Banksy is produced by GTP Exhibitions Ltd. The MediaCity season is presented by The Art of Banksy Touring Ltd in association with HOME. The exhibition is not curated or authorized by Banksy.
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