Have you ever had one of those moments where you're interested in researching something? I remember the first time I saw a piece done by Banksy. Granted, I just thought it was another piece of graffiti, nothing more until I looked into who Banksy is and realized his work is a lot more than "just graffiti." The piece I first saw is the image above. It wasn't in the gallery; it was a repost from someone's Instagram.
Like a lot of Banksy's works, it caught my eye. At this point, it may be overdone. By that, I mean his work being put on t-shirts, posters, and wallpapers, but something tells me that might be a significant purpose for him. The first time I found out about Banksy, I stumbled upon this exhibition when it first had its pop-up along Oxford Circus, like you're walking to Piccadilly Circus.
When I saw this exhibition, I did the same thing: I researched it and found out where it was. I was curious to know more about Banksy and his artwork. My motivation grew because of a music video and song by (G)I-DLE (a KPOP girl group) called Nude. The goal of the music video was to use the inspiration of Banksy and Marilyn Monroe.
Banksy has always been known for his unique, usually controversial art, yet his face and identity have remained hidden for over 25 years. Like anyone famous, Banksy started in Bristol with his graffiti work. Fast-forward to a decade later, and he is now known for his anarchic, politically motivated, and engaging pieces. This exhibition focused on his privately owned artworks from his career (I quickly learnt how much work he has).
"There is nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place."
The exhibition featured his work from 1990 until today and the words on his pieces and life story. The artwork featured some of his best and most well-known pieces, like the Turf War 2003. This was an exhibition that Banksy hosted in a warehouse in London, showcasing his paintings of live animals. The aim was to generate anger from animal rights activists; it was his first exhibition.
Then there was Dismaland of 2015 (which became a favourite of mine). This was a theme park that Banksy created in Weston Super Mare. The theme park has over 40,000 visitors per day, and it was built in secret. Banksy's work was not to make everyone comfortable. That's something we've all known. It was to create anger towards the right reasons, elicit conversation on avoided topics, and speak for the unspoken. Or, in the words of Banksy:
"Nobody ever listened to me until they didn't know who I was."
I enjoyed this exhibition. I learned a lot more about Banksy and saw more of his artwork. For people in the UK, the exhibition is available from today until January 5th, 2025. I have also included the link below, should anyone want to check it out.
I'll see you again next week, and we'll take a different route and focus on something with a bit more noise and speed.
Great read :) I've actually messaged you on FB