“A regular 400ml can of paint will give you up to 50 A4 sized stencils.
This means you can become incredibly famous/unpopular in a small town virtually overnight for approximately ten pounds.”
That’s the credo, with its blend of streetwise practicality and wry humour, that has made Banksy, the notably anonymous artist, both famous and infamous.
An exhibition of the reclusive artist’s works in various media, including more than 140 separate pieces, opens in Toronto’s Lighthouse Artspace today (May 29). The show, made up of pieces culled from private collections, including both collectors and former lovers and friends that Banksy gifted with works of his art, is on view until Labour Day. Some pieces, like Banksy’s Mona Lisa redux, have never before been on public view.
Bringing the Banksy Exhibit to Toronto is the brainchild of Corey Ross, founder of Starvox Entertainment, and today president of Starvox Exhibits. Today’s Banksy Exhibit actually began with Ross’ first foray into the exhibit biz after years of focusing on live shows.
The Art of Banksy is a show produced by GTP Exhibitions. Michel Boersma curated the traveling collection for the London-based company. There are actually two Banksy exhibits, one that goes on tour, and another on permanent display in London’s Soho district. The total collection, including 330 authenticated works, is valued at more than $120 million USD.
Ross connected with Michel while on a holiday in Amsterdam, and was taken with the concept of the exhibit, which he found in a small museum at the time.
“I say it’s sort of sticky. The images stick in your mind,” he says.
“It’s what you can do with art,” he says of his fascination. “I’d never done an exhibit before.” When Michel called him to ask if he wanted to partner in the show as it traveled to North America, he jumped at the chance. “For me it was pivotal, because the show was a big success.”
That 2018 Banksy show opened in Toronto with 80 works, one of which was promptly stolen. Ross admits to a learning curve when it came to the details, such as security, which is much beefed up these days, as he reports.
The meeting led to not only the 2018 Banksy show in Toronto, but Immersive Van Gogh. Together with Svetlana Dvoretsky, Corey put together Lighthouse Immersive, which brought the landmark Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit to life. Immersive Van Gogh was one of the few shows that not only survived but thrived during the pandemic. Opening in 2020, it offered plenty of social distancing, including the opportunity to drive through the exhibit.
Banksy’s Art
So, who is Banksy, and how have they managed to remain anonymous in the age of the internet?
“That’s a very interesting question,” Ross smiles. “[But], who wants to destroy the mystery?”
There are a few things we do know about Banksy. He’s based in England, and works as a film director and political activist along with his art. Many have speculated about his identity, but nothing has been proven.
As an artist, he’s been active since the 1990s, first in Bristol’s underground scene of artists and musicians. His best known works are characterized by often biting social satire, and his provocative street art has made him a household name worldwide. Much of his work deals with political issues. His Wrong War series was completed in February 2003 for a massive march in London against the invasion of Iraq.
Some of his works carry a softer message. Panels on the gallery walls depict some of Banksy’s words.
“If you feed dirty, insignificant or unloved, then rats are a good role model. They exist without permission, they have no respect for the hierarchy of society, and they have sex 50 times a day.”
Words to live by.
Recently, in 2023, the secretive artist revealed more of his processes and even some of his original stencils. As he explained in his announcement, he’d kept the stencils — which he’d used for many of his more famous public art projects — hidden, because of their potential use as evidence against him if it ever came to legal charges. The Cut and Run exhibition, focused on images created by “cutting shapes out of cardboard, spraying paint through them, and then running away” launched in Glasgow.
A Di-Faced Tenner
Part of the fun will be the chance to win a genuine Banksy — one of his so-called Di-Faced Tenner bills. In 2004, the artist printed a series of £10 notes with the face of Princess Diana replacing that of the Queen.
The name is a classic example of Banksy’s wry humour — a pun on the word defaced. “Banksy of England” replaces Bank of England. There’s an inscription under the banner on the bill that reads, “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the ultimate price” in reference to Diana’s untimely end. Instead of Darwin, Banksy’s put “Trust No One”.
The artist dropped suitcases full of his Di-Faced Tenners into summer music festival crowds where the audiences could use them as if they were real cash.
- To win one of your own — and get tickets to the exhibit — you have to fill out a ballot online, available on the website [HERE].
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