As the second “unauthorized” Banksy exhibition (because he, she, they want no part) to hit the Philadelphia area in 2022, Banksy Was Here: An Unauthorized Exhibition at Philadelphia Fashion District (running until January 31, 2023) certainly has sprawl on its side. Opening into a large scale, winding phalanx of high-ceilinged rooms and alleys, with industrial touches such as a busted escalator, Banksy Was Here offers the Bristol-born, street artist, graffiti king and stencil master several different replicant atmospheres to go with key times and art pieces in his history.
This timeline includes rooms dedicated to “The Walled Off Hotel” project along the West Bank that the artist erected in dedication to the Israel-Palestine conflict, a Rat Room dedicated to one of Banksy’s favorite, and longest used totems for his stencils, and elements of Dismaland – his, her, their – cynical take on corporate wonderland mentalities.
As for the works in Banksy Was Here, 80 plus artworks in this exhibition, there are those owned by private collections and used for this show in collaboration with Lilley Fine Art Contemporary Art Gallery. While we know there is no longer an iconic ‘Girl with Balloon’ (because Banksy set it to shred when sold by its frightened auctioneers at Sotheby’s in London), there is certainly a copy on display in Philadelphia. Along with several copies of his Day Glo green haired punk rock Winston Churchill, there is the famed portrait of Lenin, his piss takes on Basquiat and Haring, his “Fallen Angels” cigarette holders and his literally explosive “Monkey Detonator” on display. There are album covers (Blur) and film posters (his Exit Through the Gift Shop doc) and Victrola dogs and rooms lit by disco balls and rife with Union Jacks.
As for Banksy’s interactive elements, there are several iconic red British phone boxes (a totem of several of Banksy’s paintings and sculptural works) in which audiences can take selfies, several large graffiti walls and chalk fences where would-be Banksys can make their mark, and an interactive station of immersive Banksy life and looks that I thought about trying but will save for later.
I mean, Banksy is here, right, until the end of January…
Images: Exhibition Hub
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