Banksy, an artist who periodically appeared on my radar over the last twenty-plus years, always intrigued me.
He was a mysterious graffiti street artist who continued to deface walls and buildings with provocative images of current events. After careful planning, his pictures would suddenly appear overnight, and the world would lavish attention on his latest creations.
Seeing bits and pieces while not knowing the full story, has led me to want to attend “The Art of Banksy – Without Limits” exhibition that is currently being held in my hometown.
Though the pricing felt a bit steep (SGD 30-50 per person), curiosity got the better of me. I am a history buff and always like to explore deeper into a historical figure, to understand the person behind the name who does what they did and why they do it.
My interests could be as diverse as the Roman empire to Elon Musk the man. Book autobiographies, movies or TV series that expand on the lives and thinking of the person enlighten me tremendously. I started buying the Smash Hits weekly magazine to read the lyrics to the songs I liked when I began appreciating pop music during my teenage years. Having a catchy tune was not enough for me. I needed to know the lyrics to the song in order to fully comprehend what the singer was trying to convey.
Back to this Banksy exhibition. It was an eye-opener for me as I realized he was active for more than 20 years and has done so many varied works of art in multiple countries and geography.
The complete history of his beginnings and creation fascinated me for the 60+ minutes I needed to complete the exhibition, as recommended by the organizers. It was interesting to see him blend his interests and philanthropy actions while exposing the hypocrisy of human nature.
Some speculated that he was a roving band member who painted in the night during their tour dates. But others have also pinpointed him to be a bloke called Robin Gunningham, a rebel at heart. His images point us to the contrast of emotions and uncomfortable truths around the world. Why have hate and war when there can be love and peace instead?
The exhibition detailed his growth from street artiste to the many outrageous acts of legitimizing street graffiti to becoming a mainstream crusader of human dignity. He appears in unlikely locations to prepare and paint overnight and then disappears without a trace. His official website is used to confirm his work’s authenticity. He even has a weblink to act as a guardian in safeguarding his works and provides authentication services called the Pest Control Office.
Banksy doesn’t want anyone to treat him or his works seriously but to look at the lighter side of things. He famously shredded his work by remote control after it was auctioned successfully to a buyer for $1.4 million. And thus the arty-farty media hailed that event as a live creation of a new piece of artwork. #LoveIsInTheBin
Then there was the Dismaland “Funfair” plus the fake British banknotes to promote the event.
To monetize his works, he sometimes uses auction houses to sell the physically movable painting items. A list of his works that were sold and prices transacted. Generally, his official website also offers signed and unsigned prints for sale at a few hundred dollars apiece.
Banksy encourages anybody to take and amend his art for their own personal amusement as long as it is not for profit. No one is allowed to lie that he had endorsed them when he has not.
This was a highly entertaining and enlightening exhibition for me. I learnt so much about a free spirit individual who truly enjoys creating new artwork to provoke and open the minds of everyone, to bring to attention the ironies of life and in a small way, to galvanize us to get off our butts and perhaps do something about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy
https://feverup.com/m/188138?srsltid=AfmBOoqpNnjlagMqYN-XeRb0A5q_o5qtMWN9Ma5PuL1cM5WO
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