No one knows his true identity. Despite many theories and legends, Bansky has managed to be one of the world’s most famous graffiti artists while remaining anonymous.
He was born in Bristol, UK, in 1974. He is considered a master of Street Art, combining graffiti with stencilled images. His creations are closely related to social and political denunciation with a satirical and provocative touch.
“British policeman on his knees snorting cocaine” (2006) is valued at £1.25 million. Right: Bansky reinterprets Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” (2004) with ironic humour.
The Trafalgar Space hosts for the first time “The World of Bansky. The immersive Experience”, an exhibition with life-size reproductions of works created between 2000 and 2018 in France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Palestine.
With these replicas we can see works that no longer exist in reality, either because the authorities have ordered them to be erased, because another artist has painted over them, or because they have been removed from the wall. A dozen artists have been involved anonymously in this great exhibition, which can be visited until 31/12/2020.
In his beginnings he started painting rats in the streets as a satire against the system. He also took it upon himself to ingeniously deform advertising images in order to transform the message.
These creations were followed by others reflecting social criticism. An example of this is the Monalisa with the bazooka or the kissing policemen.
Leonardo Da Vincci’s La Gioconda (early 16th century) with a bazooka
“Kissing Cops” (2005) on a wall of the Prince Albert pupil’s hall, in Trafalgar Street, near Brighton. Right: “Welcome to Winter” (2018) found in Port Talbot – Wales.
One of the most controversial acts of this graffiti genius was the clandestine introduction of some of his works in major museums such as the MOMA in New York, where he incorporated the portrait of a vintage woman wearing a gas mask. According to the artist: “Art will be neither beauty nor novelty, art will be efficiency and disruption“.
Banksy sees art as a means of expression, denunciation and protest. Art must make an impact on the eyes that observe it.
Some of his most relevant works
The Ozone Angel
This is an imitation of Michelangelo’s David , to which he has added a bulletproof vest.
He also imitated Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, giving them a withered appearance.
Angel in a bulletproof vest -The Ozone Angel. London 2007
Girl with balloon
This is one of his most famous images. It was created in 2002 in South Park, London. It shows a girl who loses a heart-shaped balloon. Inside the balloon is the message: “There is always hope“.
Banksy made a new version of this work to give it to an NGO working to promote peace in Syria. In this new mural, the little girl holding the balloon has her head covered in reference to the Syrian girls.
“Girl with the Balloon” 2003. It is the favourite work of the British. It represents the innocence of the girl who: has she let go of love? or is she trying to get it back?
Flower thrower
During his visits to Palestine he produced several works in protest at the situation. One of the images he created is the Flower Thrower.
A young man with his face covered defends himself with a bouquet of flowers as a substitute for a weapon of war. It is one of Bansky’s best known works.
“Ira, flower thrower” (2003) the gesture of a man throwing a colourful bouquet like a Molotov cocktail.
“Dove of peace with bulletproof vest” (2005) this graffiti is on the separation wall between Israel and Palestine.
Walled Off Hotel (Palestine, Bethlehem)
This is a former residential building where Banksy has fitted out a dozen rooms with graffiti to denounce the occupation of Palestinian territory. It was unveiled in March 2017 under the slogan “the hotel with the worst view in the world”, and so it was, since from some of its windows one can see the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank.
The Walled Off Hotel opens its doors to the public on 11 March 2017.
Sculptures and works of art invade every corner of the place, which is why some consider it a museum and others a boutique hotel. The décor is a recreation of the English colonial atmosphere of the early 20th century, and its piano bar is a tribute to Britain’s acquisition of Palestine in 1917. Definitely more than a hotel, this is a ‘political installation’ that Banksy is organising just a few steps from the Bethlehem Wall.
Pillow Wars
It is located on one of the walls of the Walled Off Hotel that Banksy founded and designed in occupied Palestinian territory. This place is full of personality and denunciation. Every detail is intended to show the reality experienced by the Palestinian population.
Pillow fight, 2017. Depicts an Israeli soldier versus a Palestinian protester with a humorous twist.
Toxic Mary – Toxic Virgin
This work shows the Virgin Mary feeding a child with a toxic bottle. The denunciation is aimed at the bad influence that parents often have on their children. The context surrounding the child is decisive in determining what kind of person he or she will become as an adult.
Toxic Mary (2004). It is one of his earliest works. It is considered very daring because of the religious iconography. Right “Turf War” (2003) Illustration of Winston Churchill with punk crest.
Turf War – 2003
With this Mohawk-inspired green hair, he turns Winston Churchill into a punk icon. It is reminiscent of the “Turf Wars” riots that ravaged London in May 2000. With this green bush, the artist refers to the clumps of grass that protesters uprooted in Parliament Square and relocates them above Churchill’s head.
Banksy today
Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the British artist has produced a number of works. One of his works during this period consists of several drawings on a London Underground carriage to raise awareness of the use of masks on public transport.
He posted a video on Instagram showing his creation. We can see one animal spitting out a green liquid that simulates the virus, another using the mask as a parachute, and the last one covering its face with it.
In addition, at the end of the video we read on the station wall the text “I get lockdown” which is complemented by another phrase that appears when the train doors close again: “But I get up again”.
In short, this famous graffiti artist makes us understand with his creations that words and images can be the best weapons to reveal ourselves in the face of social injustice: “A wall is a very big weapon. It is one of the most unpleasant things you can hit someone with”.
You can see this exhibition at Espacio Trafalgar (Bcn) until 31-December 2020.
