People view the art of Banksy, an England-based street artist, political activist, and film director. (Image credit: AFP)
In a city famed for graffiti and murals, rival exhibitions in Belgrade showcasing the impact of British street artist Banksy have led to a colourful debate over the commercialisation of street art.
Banksy — whose identity is publicly unknown and the subject of feverish speculation — has crossed the globe for decades painting clandestine murals in public spaces, including in the occupied West Bank, London and Los Angeles.
The artist almost never provides official endorsement for exhibits showcasing his works.
But in Belgrade there are two galleries showcasing his work.
At one show — simply entitled “Banksy” — the collection mainly features prints and posters, including album covers for various musicians, collaborations with Greenpeace, and an alternative opening sequence for the popular series “The Simpsons”, which the artist adapted.
There, visitors have flooded social media with pictures taken next to the model of a bomb made famous in several Banksy murals.
The show, with entrance tickets costing up to 1,300 dinars (about Rs 1,000) has been organised by Slovenia’s Deva Puri Gallery. Curator David Rjazancev, who spent a decade working on the project, which provides visitors with a multimedia tour focusing on Banky’s works.
Rjazancev said the exhibition has relied on borrowed artworks from galleries, museums, and private collections after verifying their authenticity.
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The show has faced some criticism and led to the creation of a rival free exhibition.
Nemanja Janjic, the curator of the rival showcase entitled “Fake Banksy, Real Message”, said he was struck by the charging of entrance fees without the artist’s consent, which flew in the face of Banksy’s anti-establishment message.
“His art is, above all, a critique of consumerism, elitism, and profit, with a clear message that art should be accessible to everyone,” Janjic said.
At Janjic’s show, visitors are able to destroy art prints using a paper shredder in an homage to recreating “Love Is in the Bin” — Banksy’s 2018 art intervention at Sotheby’s London, where his painting self-destructed immediately after being sold.
“His works are not meant for mass consumption… he is not a capitalist, nor is he commercial,” a Belgrade resident who introduced herself as Vanja told AFP after leaving the “Fake Banksy” exhibit.
Belgrade has long been famous for its streets art with the city’s walls home to portraits of war lords, rock stars and poets along with nationalist odes to Russia and claims on neighbouring Kosovo.
During recent student-led protests, demonstrators have also re-imagined Banksy’s famous girl reaching for a heart-shaped, red balloon mural to include a bloody handprint — the symbol of the anti-corruption movement.
Group tries to steal Banksy mural in Ukraine, arrested
In 2022, a group of people tried to take a mural by graffiti artist Banksy in Ukraine on Friday by cutting it off a battle-scarred wall where it was painted, the governor of Kyiv region said.
The group managed to slice off a section of board and plaster bearing the image of a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher on the side of a scorched building.
But they were spotted at the scene in the city of Hostomel near Kyiv and the mural was retrieved, Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement.
The image was still intact, and police were protecting it, he added.
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