You don’t have to go to London or New York City to experience the work of infamous counterculture street artist Banksy.
You just have to go to Torrance.
A Banksy mural titled “Waiting In Vain,” which was originally found in 2013 next to a Hustler strip club in Hell’s Kitchen, in New York, is part of an exhibit now on display through March 1 at the Torrance Art Museum.
The exhibit, “BURNER: Exhibition of International Street Art,” features the work of Banksy and 26 other street artists, all of whom Max Presneill, Torrance Art Museum’s head curator, calls “household names in that field.”
“Banksy is a great anchor for a show because he is so well known,” Presneill said. “It’s really a good lead-in for people to understand what kind of show it is and the level of fame and fortune that the artists in the show have reached.”
Banksy, who has managed to escape identification since he burst onto the art scene in the 1990s, is a street artist, political activist and filmmaker. He is known for his stencil-based graffiti art, which often contains satirical social and political commentary about topics such as capitalism, war and consumerism.
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His works have appeared on streets, walls and bridges around the world, mostly in London, New York and Paris.
“Waiting In Vain” shows a stencil of a man in a suit leaning against a wall and holding a wilted bouquet of flowers. To preserve the artwork, which is estimated to be worth about $1.5 million, the entire garage panel was cut out and put behind glass.
Besides Banksy, “BURNER” features Bambi, Blek le Rat, Mr. Brainwash, Buff Monster, Chroma, Cee Pil, The Connor Brothers, Craig Knight, Dalek, Mr. Doodle, Epsylon Point, Futura 2000, Shepard Fairey, KEF!, KAWS, Henri Lamy and Invader.
“These literally are some of the biggest A-lister names in that world,” Presneill said.
But that’s not all. “BURNER” also runs simultaneously with another exhibit, “OUTSIDE IN -The Billy Shire Collection,” which features a showcase of California-born pop surrealism.
The nearly 50 works on display reflect a genre that is both vibrant and strange: Cartoons blending with religious iconography, classic art blending with graffiti — the mundane becoming the bizarre.
It’s a genre that was initially rejected by mainstream collectors but found a home at Billy Shire’s West LA gallery.
The two exhibitions, Presneill said, are being shown simultaneously because they both reflect the same daring and colorful push against the mainstream.
“They both come from the same counterculture influences,” Presneill said. “Street art originated from stuff that was out there in the world rather than in galleries or museums. But it’s changed. Some things can be made in a studio and taken straight to the gallery.”
Presneill said he hopes that the edgy nature of the exhibits will attract a broader audience than is customary for the small museum, which spans two large rooms (and a small theater) on the Torrance Civic Center campus.
“We always have a crowd regardless of what the show is,” he said, “but we did have a lot of new faces for this opening.”
If you go
What: “BURNER: Exhibition of International Street Art” and “OUTSIDE IN: The Billy Shire Archive.”
When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday through March 1.
Where: Torrance Art Museum, 3320 Civic Center Drive
Cost: Free
Information: 310-618-6388 or torranceartmuseum.com.
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