Those who want to see some of the most iconic works of the famously elusive artist Banksy will get a chance at Austin’s Fair Market starting in late May.
Well, sort of.
More than 200 reproductions of works by the “artivist” will be on display all in one place, including the popular “Girl With Balloon” mural pictured above, originally stenciled onto London’s Waterloo Bridge overlooking the River Thames.
To make it abundantly clear, when we say “reproductions,” we mean these aren’t Banksy’s actual creations. They’re recreations produced by a team in the spirit of the artist, not originals.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 29, and pricing starts at $27. The show will run May 29 through Sept. 7 at the Eastside warehouse and indoor-outdoor event space, located at 1100 East 5th St.
In addition to the stencil murals for which the street artist is best known, the exhibit will also include prints, photographs, lithographs, sculpture, murals and video-mapping visuals. The immersive show also will include an infinity room and a hologram installation.
Premium tickets come with the opportunity for guests to spray paint Banksy’s iconic works themselves.
The fact that the touring exhibition is comprised of reproductions has led some visitors to complain online that they felt cheated.
In fact, the show isn’t officially authorized, affiliated or endorsed by Banksy in any way. The artist himself made that clear through his official Pest Control website when the exhibition came through London, explaining that he’s not involved with any such projects.
Banksy, who has spent most of his wildly successful art career in the shadows, was recently identified in a Reuters investigation — allegedly. But we’re not snitching.
There’s also debate as to Banksy’s street cred now that his work is worth millions. Indeed, his most expensive work — Love Is In The Bin — sold for $25.4 million moments before famously self-destructing with a built-in shredder.
No longer simply a street artist, but not quite high art either, Banksy occupies his own liminal space — as an agitator critiquing the system from outside while enjoying immense commercial success. Both famous and, until recently, unknown. Corporeal and a ghost. An average, middle-aged guy and a near-mythic figure.
The Austin show is an exhibit recreating the works of an artist whose medium — stencil — is already up for debate due to its easy-to-reproduce nature. The end result feels both meta and watered-down at the same time. Then again, since the original murals are a part of actual buildings, a large-scale exhibit of his work would likely have to include reproductions.
(Uh oh, we are tiptoeing dangerously close to the “what is art” precipice.)
There is even a rumor — excuse us, Banksy, a rumour — that he sometimes attends his own exhibits and auctions in a disguise. But since he allegedly didn’t sign off on this one, we’d guess chances of a sighting are slim to nil.
Then again, who knows?
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