In a world where we unconsciously give up so much of our privacy each day, legendary street artist Banksy is firmly committed to staying anonymous through the chaos. The infamous artist’s identity continues to remain unknown despite worldwide fame and recognition. Hiding behind a mask, he relentlessly controls his own narrative. Banksy uses this anonymity to his advantage. His work unabashedly conveys his raw, social and political commentary on present-day issues.
The gutsy artist’s work first began popping up on the walls, railways, streets, and walkaways of his hometown Bristol in the late 1980s. Tackling themes of capitalism, anti-establishment and non-conformism, Banksy’s work began to speak for an entire generation. His distinctive art serves as a voice of protest, often shifting from being transparent depictions of social injustices to a rather unique, satirical display of the human condition. How has Banksy become one of the most prolific street artists of our time? What makes the elusive artist a cultural icon? What does he convey through his art that resonates so deeply with people?
The ‘World of Banksy: The Immersive Experience’ exhibition staged at The Theatre at Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, offered an intimate look at the masked artist’s controversial yet daring world. Spread across two floors, the exhibition featured 120 recreated pieces of Banksy’s most influential art from his travels across the world.
The Theatre welcomes us with a large, looming mural of Banksy’s ‘No Future’, the now painted-over work that first appeared on the walls of a private residence in Southampton, London in 2010. The haunting image of a young child holding on to a bright red balloon that forms part of the phrase to ‘no future’ is a bleak reminder of what’s to come.
The exhibition transforms itself into the streets and alleyways of the artist’s home country, the UK, where nearly 80 per cent of Banksy’s work can be found. One of his first pieces addressing the UK’s departure from the European Union; ‘Brexit’, features a worker removing a single star from the EU flag with cracks spreading across it. The mural was painted over in 2019. On his Instagram, Banksy proclaimed: “I had planned that on the day of Brexit I was going to change the piece in Dover. But seems they have painted over it. Never mind. I guess a big white flag says it just as well.”
The scope of Banksy’s artistic potential goes beyond stencils and graffiti art on urban walls, his painted canvas work, sculptures and large-scale conceptual projects have contributed significantly to the guerrilla art movement. A personal favourite, the ‘Devolved Parliament’ is an oil on canvas painting that depicts politicians as chimpanzees debating in the British parliament. It is this tongue-in-cheek nature of his work that appeals to the masses, making his art uniquely accessible and forthright in an otherwise elitist industry.
His irreverent humour and mockery of the systemis proudly displayed across the exhibit. ‘Jack and Jill (Police Kids)’, portrays Banksy’s disdain for the surveillance state and police forces as children frolic around wearing bulletproof vests that simply read “Police”, suggesting their youthful innocence being taken away from them.
In “Show Me the Monet’, a subtle play on the phrase ‘show me the money!’, Banksy denounces consumerism and its blatant lack of respect for the environment. He adds to Impressionist master Claude Monet’s famous ‘Water Lilies’ discarded shopping trolleys and traffic cones, taking away what once was a picturesque scene.
Throughout the exhibition, a curious little rat journeys along with us. Sometimes found scurrying along on the walls or urinating in a corner, the rat embodies Banksy’s beliefs as a graffiti artist. Influenced by esteemed French graffiti artist Blek le Rat or Xavier Prou, Banksy uses rats as a symbol for the regenerative nature of street art. You can always count on these pesky rodents to continually reproduce and retaliate to society’s attempts at pest control. In a similar vein, graffiti artists are stripped off their work as governments constantly attempt to clear street art, they are shunned by their own art community and yet, much like the humble rat, the deviant artist cannot be caged. Like Banksy once said, “If you are dirty, insignificant and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model”.
Perhaps the most impressive installment at the exhibit is the room dedicated to Banksy’s ‘Walled Off Hotel’. Located beside the 700-kilometre-long Bethlehem wall that cuts through occupied Palestinian land, the “Walled Off Hotel” is one of Banksy’s large-scale achievements. The exhibition features recreations of his murals painted across the Bethlehem wall and his artwork from within the hotel itself. The hotel famously boasts “the worst view in the world”, it is essentially a 10-room boutique hotel, art gallery and political statement in one. Now a massive tourist attraction, the hotel serves as a brief visceral reminder of Palestinian life under Israel’s military infrastructure of confinement. The hotel was intended to be a provocative, temporary construction like Banksy’s other pop up installation ‘Dismaland Bemusement Park’; a dystopian amusement park set in the middle of a derelict seaside resort in Weston super Mare, UK. But nearly two years later, Banksy seems reluctant in destructing his Bethlehem creation. The Walled Off Hotel now perseveres, much like the people of Palestine, unwavering in the face of Israeli aggression.
Critics consider Banksy’s art a ‘novelty’, his loud statements a gimmicky attempt at art that feigns depth. The dismissal of his work by this prestigious art world holds no bearing over the mysterious artist. Although standing firmly against the pretentiousness of the industry, Banksy’s fame has ceded him. The commodification of his work an inescapable trajectory thanks to his global popularity. Banksy has now become a victim of his own success, his art auctions off at exorbitant amounts, a direct contradiction to his persistent anti-capitalist stance. The irony is not lost on him as Banksy once proclaimed, “I love the way capitalism finds a place – even for its enemies. It’s definitely boom time in the discontent industry.”
While the value of his work soars, there is a certain poignancy in Banksy’s impact. The transient nature of street art makes some of his work only exist in photographs or as a memory. The cultural provocateur has yielded the power of his anonymity to paint out loud the unrelenting obstacles that face our society. The exhibit was a testament to his profound influence and a rare opportunity to witness his fleeting work firsthand.