Art on the edge
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Banksy artist exhibit in downtown Montreal, in the Festival area. We were told it could take up to 1.5 hours to visit the entire exhibit. It took my wife and me 3 hours! If you want to read the descriptions next to each piece of art, it takes a while to get through the entire exhibit. I read virtually all except for the last room, I just had no more gas left in the tank. Thankfully, there were couches set up at the end of the exhibit, although they would have been welcome in a few areas along the path of the exhibit.
For those who may not have heard of him, Banksy is a pseudonymous street artist, political activist, and film director based in England. He is known for his distinctive graffiti and stenciled works, often combining satirical social commentary with dark humour. His art frequently critiques political, economic, and social issues such as war, consumerism, and surveillance. Despite his global fame, Banksy has managed to maintain his anonymity, and very little is known about his personal life or identity.
Banksy first gained widespread attention in the 1990s, with his works appearing on walls and public spaces in and around Bristol, England. Over time, his art spread internationally, popping up in cities all over the world. He often employs stencils for quick execution, which has become one of his trademarks.
His art really makes you look at the world through a different lens. What motivated me to share this experience with you is that Banksy is essentially making the invisible visible, which is what this blog is all about. By calling attention to human behaviour, he highlights the insanity of our world. His art is thought-provoking and leaves you pondering over subjects, events, actions, wars, religion, violence, other artist's work, and people at large. But rather than try to define his art any further, I will share some of his works that resonated with me.
Some of Banksy's most famous works include "Girl with Balloon," "Flower Thrower," and "There is Always Hope."In 2018, he grabbed headlines when his painting "Girl with Balloon" was partially shredded by a hidden device immediately after being sold at auction for over a million pounds. This unexpected stunt increased the value of the piece, which was then renamed "Love is in the Bin."
Exit The Exhibit
Banksy also directed the 2010 documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop," which tells the story of street art and its commercialization. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Because of his anonymity, there is constant speculation about his identity, with various rumours linking him to different artists or groups, but none have been confirmed.
I leave you with the song "Exit" from U2's Joshua Tree album. I've always felt it was the darkest of the songs on that album, so, somewhat fitting for this chapter I think.
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