The proposal invites you to peek into the world of the controversial and anonymous artist, who sells works for millions and then destroys them live, at the exact moment of the auction., or that turns an abandoned mega park into a gloomy Disney and charges admission, or that savagely criticizes consumerism to later market merchandising. The exhibition does not have the authorization of the graffiti artist, so it bears the “Unofficial” stamp, although the works on display are all originals certified by the artist himself.
“This is not an opportunity for you to take a photo”, reads one of the stencils of this graffiti artist, now stamped in one of the rooms of the mega exhibition in La Rural, where some of his most famous works that appear in small format first they were illegally painted: the girl with the balloon, the flower thrower, the protagonists of pulp fiction wielding bananas instead of weapons, the girl from Napalm (historical photo) in a collage that shows her accompanied by Mickey Mouse Y ronald mcdonald.
His famous graffiti “Girl with Balloon”which he first printed 20 years ago in a shop window in Shoreditch (London), is the favorite work of art of the British, chosen as number one in the United Kingdom, according to a survey.
The artist named by Times magazine as one of the 100 most influential people, who when he was nominated for the Oscars for his documentary “Exit through the gift shop” he asked to attend the ceremony in a costume (they told him no), he has “vandalized” streets and walls around the world, without authorization, so he has little to say about exhibitions that are carried out at his expense, or of their collectors. By the way, they also wanted to remain anonymous.
The exhibition recreates exactly the same as that fragment of his workshop where, covering his face, he gave statements for the documentary (“The exit is through the gift shop”), it includes a global map with all his murals made in the most varied cities of the world (which can also be visited with Street View on the Google Arts & Culture platform) and there is even an immersive room, set to music, with his favorite animal, rats.
Another of the phrases that accompanies the exhibition in Buenos Aires is another famous Banksy stencil: “copyrights are for losers”says the graffiti attributed to the anonymous and elusive hero, an urban legend, admired by the big stars and also by the art market.
The cutout lettering is near the video that goes over in detail how Banksy decided to destroy his own work during a live auction: Girl with a Balloon sold for $1.4 million and just after the hammer came down, a mounted shredder was automatically activated. in a gilt frame. As if this weren’t enough, the shredder got stuck halfway and the heart-shaped balloon was left intact.
Is Banksy the iconic artist of the 21st century? It could well be, not only because of his murals with a forceful social message, but also because the greatest prankster in the art world learned to play with the market’s own rules, and to subvert them.
The exhibition also has a free audio guide for smartphones, available in Spanish and English, which enriches the visitor’s experience by providing extensive information on the artist and on each of the works on display.
The sample can be visited until December 14 in La RuralBuenos Aires Fairgrounds, Frers Pavilion, access by Avenida Santa Fe 4363.
Source: Ambito
