Graffiti is a polarising art medium to say the least, but if there’s one street artist who has managed to transcend the typical demographic and elevate the niche, it’s Banksy. From now until the end of April, Sydneysiders can take an immersive, up close and personal look at some of Banksy’s most famous pieces at ‘The Art of Banksy: Without Limits’. Now I’m not an art afficionado by any means. I’ve never really ‘got’ art in a profound sense - I like what I like without looking into it too deeply. Still, Banksy’s enigmatic presence has captured the attention of people the world over, and not even I’m immune to his bad-boy style of activism.
Banks is indeed a polarising artist himself. After all, he is a street artist tagging buildings and property all across the world, not to mention the blatant, controversial assertions that his pieces make on topical social issues. Banksy has taken a stance on everything from homophobia to Gaza, the COVID-19 pandemic to the cost of living crisis. His pieces are usually cheeky and take heavy influence from pop culture or subjects that we would find familiar, and it’s in the contortion of these pieces to reflect his meaning that proves to be so profound. There are over a hundred pieces of Banksy’s work at the exhibition, and it’s a multisensory installation which features informational videos, light projections, and sounds to create a uniquely ‘urban’ atmosphere. While it is an art exhibition, it says a lot about the artist himself, speaks about our cultural landscape, and defies all stereotypes of what art is traditionally supposed to be.
An optional inclusion to the exhibition is a t-shirt spray paint experience. Before heading into the art installation, guests can choose a Banksy stencil and, over a maximum 15-minute time slot, use the collection of spray paints to create a Banksy-esque design of their own. While the design choices are limited (there was approximately 5 stencils to pick from what I could see), the output is really only limited to your imagination. The t-shirts dry as you make your way through the exhibition, making for a seamless and mess-free collection at the end of your time there. The spray painting experience is also available for purchase on the day, but it’s cheaper to book a VIP ticket with the experience included from the beginning, rather than buying a regular ticket and adding on the t-shirt experience at the gift shop. While the shirts don’t exactly scream ‘haute couture’, it’s a unique, fun souvenir and is worth the additional cost if you can swing it.
Tickets are available from the link below: https://artofbanksyau.com/sydney/
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