Banksy vs Bristol Museum

September 8, 2009 4:34 pm

I never have seen such a long queue for such a long time to visit a street artist show. But when a so brilliant artist pop up with his genius, it happens. Yes, he is Banksy.

Who is he?
There is a awful lot of talk about the guy. He is one of the most discussed but acclaimed cultural provocateur of our time, and maybe the only one who grabs the headlines with such an unusual medium as visual art. Banksy has gained notoriety in recent years by using stencils to paint images in an array of out-door locations.

Nobody knows his name, he uses only a nickname, not only because spraying graffiti is illegal and all street artists want to protect themselves. Infact some regard the artist’s street works to be vandalism, pure and simple.

But also because, even thought is he is very famous and his works are sold for much money,  he doesn’t want to be a celebrity and became part of that system he criticizes in his work. Even thought there is a contradiction in this, because it is not simple to be critic about the system and be part of it at the same time, I like him, because he has chosen to not have the copyright of his works.
The show here “Banksy vs Bristol Museum” is a unique collaboration between a cultural institution and a very controversial artist. More than a collaboration it is often a squatting of the space, putting fake paintings through the ancients true, replacing many of the museum’s regular artefacts. The result delights the public of every age. Banksy wasn’t  able to afford “The flight to Egypt” by Claude Lorrain, so he has provided a no frills alternative.

A lot are the issues raised by his works as the relation ship between  animal and human egoism, putting them in the circus and using them for testing make up. Money is the reason our societies are collapsing and police officers who use violence and a heavy-handed approach aren’t appropriate for the job and need to be dismissed.
In the museum there is also a reconstruction of Banksy’s studio and how he makes the stencil using software. My favourite piece is “Flower power”. See below.

During his trip to Palestine, Banksy created nine images on Israel’s West Bank barrier which explain more about this absurd conflict then any ONU delegation.
If you want to discover how it all comes from, his early graffiti career and the amazing fertile music scene called trip-hop (shared with Massive Attack, Tricky, Roni Size and Portishead) and how it started in Bristol and went global I suggest this book: “Home sweet  home”, the -of course – unofficial guide to Banksy’s Bristol by Steve Wrigth.