Banksy Exhibit: Is it Worth it?
Most people hated it. It’s undeniably an unauthorized capitalization on Banksy’s work. Yet by the time I left, it deepened my understanding of his/her legacy
The Art of Banksy exhibit has has a rating of 1.9 stars on Google reviews, with captions such as “total waste of time”, “ripoff”, and “I feel like the monkey in a Banksy piece”.
Creating a Space for Banksy Conversations
Personally, I’m glad I went, as I learned a new facts about Banksy that I would have probably never known otherwise. The sole act of going there attracted more Banksy conversations into my life, which I didn’t know I needed.
When I posted the pictures from the exhibit on Instagram, a friend of mine commented that we used to have an original Banksy in Chinatown in Boston, which was later vandalized.
As the discussions continued, I reflected upon the true value of Banksy: a revolutionary, disrupting the status quo through art, but also disrupting art through street art. It’s obvious to everyone now, but it wasn’t back when he started. For most of his career he was a “vandal”, which is what most street artists are considered.
He was active stirring-up the counterculture during two very dense decades, approximately between 1995–2015. Some political events relevant to his work include:
- the newly formed European Union gaining power
- the dot.com bubble burst
- 9/11
- the meaningless, oil-hungry wars in the Middle East
- the Arab Spring
- the Israel-Palestine situation escalated
- we legalized gay marriage in America
- social media took over the world.
For most of this time he lived in the shadows, slowly conquering the hearts of millions, fighting for justice through street art. He was on the right side of history all along, and the impact of his work only became obvious in hindsight once he made it big.
We needed a space to collectively reflect on these accomplishments, and I personally feel like “The Art of Banksy” created that space.
A Reminder for Protesting War
The year was 2003. I was attending middle-school in Rome, Italy. President Bush was invading Iraq, and protests erupted all over Europe, as governments sent soldiers to fight a war mostly aimed at controlling oil in the Middle East (everyone knew that, even us kids in junior high).
As an American, I had to spend many conversations defending myself, explaining to people that not all Americans supported Bush or the war. In fact, most people oppose most wars, with the goal of living a peaceful life with their loved ones. The soldiers involved often don’t have a choice. So it’s up to artists, students, and whoever can to protest for them. We all have a civil duty to protest injustice, and Banksy created reminders of this through street art.
Looking at these paintings reminded me of those years where I was being verbally attacked for something that as a 13-year-old, I had absolutely nothing to do with. What I didn’t realize yet, was the responsibility I held to champion what is right — if not me, who?
We all need this reminder. We need to see this art. Or it will keep happening.
Celebrating the End of the Banksy Era
Another reason I think the exhibit is a good idea is because not everyone will get a chance to see a Banksy in the wild during their lifetime. We pass by street art every day, yet most of us are too busy with our lives to notice it. On top of that, nowadays the idea of leaving a Banksy unattended, given it’s current value, is not realistic. If Banksy pieces are no longer anonymous street art, and become a destination, how is that different than seeing them in a dedicated exhibit?
Though his identity remains unknown, it is believed he is approaching his 50s: Banksy is getting old. There will be many street artists carrying on his legacy, but none will be as great as the original. Within a couple decades we’ll be teaching about him in art history books. This exhibit felt like a good marker in time to delineate the end of Banksy’s active years as a street artist, and his right of passage to becoming a historical figure.
A Legacy of Societal Disruption
Banksy refuted and mocked conventional society, so it’s quite ironic to see his works exhibited in such a conventional form as an art exhibit.
Paradoxically, it’s by bringing his work to such a conventional location that it will reach the people it needs to. The people who can comfortably afford to pay the entrance fee, and the free time to spend at an art gallery. Many of these people wouldn’t have engaged with Banksy’s work had it not been for an exhibition. As per his famous quote, “Art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. It’s not every day that you see something like this in an art gallery in Harvard Square:
I enjoyed taking 45-minutes of time to admire the prints and read through quotes like this, thinking about all the events of the past two decades that I’ve lived through which inspired his work.
Final Thoughts: Is it fair to Banksy, and is it worth the Price?
Who cares if it’s worth to Banksy. He spread his work across the world to fight for his ideals and send a message, and this exhibit is propagating his message.
Who cares if a bunch of rich people are profiting from this- welcome to the world.
Who cares if most art exhibited isn’t original. In the era of NFTs, we are redefining the meaning and value of art, so it doesn’t matter. I’d argue that if you can spend your hard-earned money on an NFT, you can spend it on the Banksy exhibit. You won’t own a Banksy, but it will create an experience worth owning.
It’s true: it’s on the pricier side, so Google it, then wait for the Instagram ads with discount codes. If price is a factor for you, I noticed that different days command different prices, so play with dates. We ended up paying $47/person. Oh, and the VIP upgrade is not worth it.
My final advice? If this exhibit comes to your city, and you can afford it, go see it.
Bonus — Paris Hilton
I got a kick out of this one. Apparently Banksy punked Paris Hilton by stealing her CDs and substituting them with decent remixes. In time, she turned out to become quite a decent DJ. Did Banksy know all along?
