A new unauthorized exhibition of Banksy’s works occupies the two floors of the Maison du Festival de Montréal. More than 160 pieces, including about forty originals, we are assured, but above all numerous prints and reproductions made by anonymous artists “in the style” of Banksy.
Each of the exhibitions dedicated to the anonymous street artist creates unease in the artistic community. First and foremost because Banksy opposes any form of appropriation of his works “for the purpose of making a profit”, as he writes on his official website. Exactly what many promoters around the world do, unfortunately.
After all, not all these artistic events are of equal quality. Last year, the expo Banksyland – produced by Lumio Studio and One Thousand Ways – had been a fiasco. The location of the exhibition had been kept secret until the last minute. Then, once arrived at the venue (ESC Montréal), the wait had been long, the space was poorly lit and most of the 60 or so works were in fact only prints.
Read ” Banksyland : frustrated spectators »
This time, Muse Marketing & Entertainment and eventS, which produce The Art of Banksy Without Limitshave done things rather well. But the ethical issues remain the same. It is still difficult to distinguish original works from prints or even copies (made by anonymous artists), which is a real problem.
We asked producer Sorina Burlacu why the works were not better identified.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Romanian producer Sorina Burlacu created the concept of the exhibitionThe Art of Banksy Without Limits, which has been running in its current form since 2019.
Some original works can be recognized because they are signed or because we see that they are a limited edition, but we did not want to identify them systematically, because in the past, there have been several attempts at theft on these pieces.
Sorina Burlacu, producer
The current exhibition, which was launched in 2019 in Amsterdam, brings together several of the anti-war artist’s iconic pieces, mainly those created between 2002 and 2012, his heyday. We therefore find The Flower Thrower, Napalm, Girl with Balloon, Kids on Guns, Stop and Search or even Armored Dove of Peace. Prints, photos and even sculptures.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The project of Dismalanda sort of Disneyland “inappropriate for children”, has been recreated on the first floor of the exhibition.
Upon arrival, on the first floor, two installations have been created: Dismalanda sinister version of Disneyland created in 2015 with around sixty other artists, including Damien Hirst; and an installation of orange cones, created by Banksy to denounce the traffic jams in London in 2005! Oh, oh… We can also see a representation of the mural he made on one of the doors of the Bataclan, in Paris, following the attacks of 2015.
On the second floor, you can see a series of portraits of Kate Moss, made in the style of Andy Warhol’s famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe. The creative team of The Art of Banksy Without Limits also recreated the artist’s bathroom, with all his little rats drawn on the walls, but also a room in the Walled Off Hotel, which he built in occupied Palestine, right in front of the wall erected by Israel.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The second floor of the Festival House contains installations, stenciled pieces, prints, photographs and murals, which have been recreated for the occasion.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Banksy’s most iconic pieces are on display on both floors of the Maison du Festival. In the distance, we see his famous gorilla, with a sign around his neck that reads: Laugh now, but one day, we’ll be in charge.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The murals were all made by artists who work for the producer Saurina Burlacu. Whether they were made in war zones, in Palestine or Ukraine, or elsewhere in Europe.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Fiberglass and resin sculpture Dream Boatmade in 2015, depicts a boat filled with refugees. Proceeds from the sale of the print of this work were donated to the Choose Love organization.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Another iconic piece from Banksy’s body of work: Cardinal Sin2011, with his famous quote: “ There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place. »
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All the murals that can be seen, including the one that was created in Ukraine to denounce the Russian invasion, were copied from the originals by the 20 or so artists who work for the producer.
Immersion
Despite the deceptive appearances, Sorina Burlacu assures us that her goal is not to fool the visitor. “We reinterpret Banksy’s pieces, we recreate his installations and murals with our team of artists, all this to immerse the visitor in his universe so that he better understands his entire work.”
Did her team try to contact Banksy directly? “Yes,” Sorina Burlacu replies. “We went through his company Pest Control. We sent them all the content of our exhibition, so we have a form of validation from him, otherwise his team would have let us know. In fact, we had a print with a panda, we were sure it was by him, and they told us it wasn’t, so we removed it.”
What is it that interests Sorina Bulacu so much about the approach of the English artist, who still refuses to sell his works in museums?
“I am fascinated by his marketing sense,” she replies. “Banksy is no longer just an individual, he runs a million-dollar company, which is very successful. But what I appreciate is that he still defends good values. He is against wars, racism, slavery, wild capitalism… Deep down, he is a very human person.”
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Game Changerproduced in 2020, Who was sold for 14.4 million euros
Capitalist or anti-capitalist, Banksy? The question arises. The artist has auctioned his work Game Changer For the tidy sum of 14.4 million euros in 2021. The coin depicts a little boy playing with a figurine representing a nurse, rather than the Batman and Spider-Man figurines, which were left out. But according to English media, Banksy allegedly handed over the sum to the Department of Health and Social Care in London… So a millionaire, yes, but also a philanthropist.
Is this why the producer of The Art of Banksy Without Limits feels justified in doing this exhibition? “I think it’s a quid pro quo,” Sorina Bulacu replies. “He promotes his values, but we translate his world with accuracy and respect. We don’t charge an excessive amount either.” [les billets coûtent 30 $ chacun] and we donate part of our profits to aid organizations that Banksy supports, particularly in Ukraine. So, no, we don’t have an ethical problem.”
The Art of Banksy Without Limitsuntil October 18, at the Maison du Festival
Visit the exhibition website