Review | Exhibition of Banksy street art opens in Hong Kong, and his anti-police message should strike a chord
- More than 70 of the street artist’s works are on show in Kowloon, despite Banksy not authorising the exhibition – he opposes the commercialisation of his art
- There’s a question about whether street art should be shown indoors, but his popularity and appeal make it likely this exhibition will draw the crowds
“Banksy: Genius or Vandal?”, an exhibition which opened in Hong Kong last week, is dedicated to one of the most popular artists of our time – and staged without his knowledge.
Banksy hasn’t authorised any previous exhibitions dedicated to his work. This is a travelling exhibition which has been visited by more than 700,000 people in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Madrid, and Lisbon since the summer of 2018.
It was brought to the street artist’s attention by someone who saw a sign for the show in Moscow in August 2018 and sent him a picture, along with a message saying: “They’re charging £20 to get in”. To which his response was: “You know it’s got nothing to do with me right? I don’t charge people to see my work unless there’s a fairground wheel.”
On his banksy.co.uk website, there is a list of all unauthorised exhibitions around the world (including ones titled “Genius or Vandal?”; the Hong Kong is not listed, at least for now), accompanied by a message which reads: “Members of the public should be aware there has been a recent spate of Banksy exhibitions, none of which are consensual. They've been organised entirely without the artist's knowledge or involvement. Please treat them accordingly.”
Visitors who enter the Hong Kong edition of “Genius or Vandal?” first see a large three-screen video installation (evidently not made by Banksy) documenting his street art around the world. Context is perhaps unintentionally emphasised right off the bat.
