Why Banksy is cool and why it’s worth going to his exhibition at the Central House of Artists
On June 2, an exhibition of the famous street artist and actionist Banksy will open at the Central House of Artists. It will feature sketches, photographs, installations - about 100 exhibits in total. For those who want to get to know his work in more detail, there will be a special multimedia zone. This is Banksy’s first exhibition in Moscow - in honor of this event, we remembered the main facts of his biography that every street art lover should know.
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Banksy's identity has been shrouded in mystery from the very beginning. He is called the most wanted man in the art world, an artist of mystery who has skillfully hidden his face for many years. Banksy's works are statements about events in social and political life that boldly criticize the establishment, capitalism and violence.
Everyone has seen Banksy's works, even those who have never been interested in graffiti and modern art. His most famous works include the couple from Pulp Fiction and Kissing Constables. The first image appeared in 2002 near Old Street London Underground station. It repeated a shot from Quentin Tarantino's film, except for one detail: the heroes Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta were holding bananas instead of pistols. Thus, the picture had a clear anti-militarist character. The work met a sad fate - the London Transport Service painted it over due to its “corrupting influence on society.” The company justified its actions by saying that they employ professional cleaners, not art critics.
The Kissing Constables graffiti on the wall of a pub in Brighton quickly became a city landmark, but did not last long in this status. In 2014, the work was sold for 575 thousand dollars at an auction in Miami. The painting ridiculed homophobia and it was no coincidence that it was placed on the wall of this particular pub - it was believed that gay men gathered there.
Another legendary Banksy graffiti that everyone must know is “The Naked Man.” It was painted on the building of a sexually transmitted disease clinic in the center of Bristol. The plot of the picture is simple and even anecdotal: a naked lover hangs from the windowsill, while the husband looks out of the window in the opposite direction. The city council decided to preserve the drawing and even allocated funds for its restoration after vandals shot off the graffiti with paintball guns.
It is still unknown who is hiding behind the Banksy pseudonym. There are several versions, the most common of which says that the famous graffist is Robert Del Naya from the band Massive Attack. This disclaimer was once made by DJ Goldie. In an interview, he said: “Take rounded letters, write ‘Banksy’ on a T-shirt, and it’s done. That's it, it can be sold. No disrespect to Robert, he is a brilliant artist. I think he turned the art world upside down."
Many reproached Banksy for the fact that despite his declared hatred of capitalism and commerce, he sells well. T-shirts and mugs with his work can be found in almost every online store, which is why he is more suited to the definition of pop art than street art. It is difficult to say how true these accusations are, but in 2013 Banksy held a sale of his works near Central Park in New York. Eight paintings were sold during the day, each of which was paid $60. Moreover, the real cost of the paintings exceeded 30 thousand. The record price for a Banksy work today is almost two million dollars - this is the amount for which the work “Pest Control” went under the hammer.
Banksy is believed to have started making graffiti in the late 1990s. Over time, his work became larger in scale, and the provocative nature of his drawings allowed him to quickly become famous in Great Britain, and then throughout the world. International fame came to Banksy after he placed his works on the walls of major museums in the UK and the USA. To work faster and avoid getting caught by the police, Banksy began using stencils, which later became his signature technique.
13 years ago Banksy created a comic installation inside the British Museum. He installed a stone in one of the halls, stylized as a sample of rock painting. It depicted a wounded buffalo and a man with a supermarket cart. The exhibit was accompanied by a detailed description. The museum staff didn't notice anything all day.
In 2010, Banksy released his famous film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. After this, the film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and received nominations for the Oscar and BAFTA awards. Despite the fact that Banksy himself became the central character of the picture, his face never appeared in the frame, and his voice was distorted beyond recognition.
The film tells the story of a Frenchman, the owner of a souvenir shop, who is interested in documentary photography. First, he records the adventures of his graffist brother, and then he himself turns into a street artist nicknamed Mister Brainwash. This man's real name is Thierry Guetta, and he has a long-standing friendship with Banksy. Long before filming, he endured a four-hour interrogation by police without telling them who Banksy was. Thierry was detained when a group of street artists (led by Banksy) installed a mannequin dressed as a prisoner at Disneyland. The installation was supposed to draw attention to the problems of terrorism suspects who were in the American prison at Guantanamo.
Actor Rhys Ifans, who narrates the film, commented on Banksy's decision not to speak to the press as follows: "It's unfortunate that I have to be the one to deliver the bad news, but Banksy is no longer on this mortal coil. It happened quietly this night. She was a beautiful eight-year-old girl who knew how to climb deftly and was great with a can of paint and a spray gun.”
The year 2010 was also marked for Banksy with work on a socially oriented theme song for The Simpsons. This was a response to critics of the animated series, who accused its creators of exploiting the labor of Asian workers.
One of Banksy's undeniable advantages is his support of artists around the world. For example, he has a painting dedicated to Pasha 183, a street artist from Russia who passed away in April 2013 at the age of 29. It depicts a can of spray paint with a fire burning above it. The work was called “P183. RIP."
Painting “P183. RIP" was published on Banksy's website a few days after the tragedy.
In 2015, the largest installation in Banksy's career appeared - the apocalyptic amusement park Dismaland, which ran for five weeks. During this time, a major show was held with a film screening and performances by several musicians. The word Dismaland comes from the English “dismal” - gloomy, dull. The idea behind the park is a satirical reimagining of Disneyland. The most noticeable art object in it is an upside-down carriage with Cinderella. It is reminiscent of the accident in which Princess Diana died.
Last year, Banksy painted every apartment in a Bethlehem hotel overlooking the separation barrier built by the Israeli military. On it you can see a drawing by Banksy made 10 years ago, during his first visit to Bethlehem, of a dove of peace in a bulletproof vest. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that the barrier was built by Israel in violation of international law, however, country officials argue that the barrier is necessary to protect against attacks by Palestinians.
The latest news from Banksy's life indicates that he has returned to New York - several of his new works have been discovered on the streets of the city. The first of them is a rat on the clock dial on the facade of one of the buildings. This animal is Banksy's favorite symbol, representing anarchism and the triumph of disadvantaged people. The clock has now been dismantled because the owners of the building plan to sell it at auction. In another graffiti, a man in a construction helmet, waving an arrow (or graphic line), chases away children, a woman with a child and an elderly man. This is Banksy's protest against the redevelopment of urban areas for luxury housing.
Another new work by Banksy is dedicated to Zehra Dogan, a Turkish artist who was imprisoned in 2021 for a painting depicting the city of Nusaybin destroyed by Turkish authorities. Zehra was found guilty of “depicting ongoing military operations and violating curfew” and was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
No matter what Banksy does, his works continue to rise in price. One of his illustrations of an auction is captioned with the phrase: “I can’t believe you idiots are buying this.” Banksy should not appropriate the laurels of the first and main street artist - Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat worked in this field before him. They started their journey by painting cars in the New York subway. Nevertheless, it is Banksy who needs to be thanked for the fact that interest in urban creativity has reached such proportions. Western journalists in 2006 called this the “Banksy effect” - then Christina Aguilera and other celebrities began to actively buy the artist’s works, thereby introducing a fashion for non-commercial art.
Despite the debate about whether Banksy should be considered a freelance artist or a businessman, it cannot be denied that he became a trigger for the development of street culture. In addition, Banksy achieved his main goal - he attracted public attention to important problems, including poverty, wars, thoughtless consumption of natural resources and others. And, apparently, Banksy still has something to say.
What kind of exhibition?
An exhibition with the slogan “Banksy: genius or vandal? You decide” opened at the Central House of Artists on Krymsky Val in early June. It features about a hundred exhibits, including rare prints, photographs and various multimedia content that introduces visitors to the artist.
The exhibition also includes original works by Banksy, the provision of which the organizers managed to negotiate with Western galleries and museums of modern art, as well as with private collectors. Before the opening of the exhibition, its producer Alexander Nachkebia said that it was not possible to fully implement the original idea: some owners of Banksy’s works refused to provide them due to fears for safety or due to the tense foreign policy situation. According to Nachkebia, negotiations lasted for about eight months, and the total insurance amount was 10 million pounds sterling.
According to the organizers, 252 thousand people visited the exhibition in two and a half months. Her work will last until September 2.
Guerrilla artist. How the name of the scandalous graffist Banksy was revealed Read more
Banksy style
The work of street artist Banksy is difficult to attribute to any specific style. Banksy's style is a classic embodiment of the “rebellious” public - it touches on topical issues that people try to turn a blind eye to. As for the manner of performance, it is difficult to say unequivocally what style he adheres to. Initially, Banksy’s work looked like classic street art: with inscriptions that carried a message and simple drawings. Later, street art artist Banksy began using stencils, which allowed him to create more complex designs in a short time. Now, the main style of the unknown graffiti artist is the stencil technique.
Rats are one of the artist’s favorite characters. In his opinion, they symbolize the triumph of disadvantaged people.
Interesting facts about Banksy
In 2011, an item was posted on eBay that contained a piece of paper purporting to contain Banksy's real name. The seller was an eBay user named “Jaybuysthings.” In his listing, he wrote that this was the most likely version of Banksy's real name, and that it had been verified against sales of the work in tax records. Only the name was written on a piece of paper, which the author of the lot promised not to share with anyone else. The original cost of the piece of paper was $3,000. after 38 bids, the cost of the Lot increased to 999,999 US dollars. However, the lot was removed for an unknown reason and the sale never took place.
Until now, no one knows what Banksy looks like. There are many speculations regarding his identity, but no one knows who Banksy really is. Perhaps in the future the secret of his identity will be revealed. However, all that remains for us today is to observe his work without reference to a real person.
Information taken from free sources.
