The Art of Banksy

 

February 10, 2022

 

The Art of Banksy

The main reason that we wanted to stop in Miami was so that we could check out the traveling art exhibition. “The Art of Banksy” that is currently in Miami appearing at the Ice Palace, which is the same location where we attended one of the immersive Van Gogh exhibits last year. It is a massive show that showcases the art and influence of the British street artist who goes by the name of Banksy and has become world renowned.

Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges throughout the world. 

Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.

Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces. Banksy no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall they were painted on. Much of his work can be classified as temporary art. A small number of Banksy's works are officially, non-publicly, sold through an agency created by Banksy named Pest Control. Banksy's documentary film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (2010) made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film.  In 2014, he was awarded Person of the Year at the 2014 Webby Awards.

Arguably the most controversial street artist in the world, Banksy’s works have become a subculture in their own right. Banksy’s political statements and disruptive vision have impacted cities across the globe at vital moments in modern history, provoking alternative viewpoints and encouraging revolution in the art world. His identity remains unknown, even after more than 30 years of involvement in the global graffiti scene. He has worked in many street art mediums and in many styles, breaking down the boundaries and expectations of street art critics. His work includes powerful, often controversial images, encouraging the rapid spread of his name and work across the internet. Today, his iconic works have been re-shared and repurposed beyond measure.

The exhibit itself is sort of against what Banksy stands for and as such it is filled with contradictions as the artwork that has been collected from both his street art days, his occasional shows and other sources at once helps spread the anti-capitalist message that Banksy expresses yet at the same time is part of the very system that he is against. 

For me, I tend not to worry too much about the commodification of his art and just enjoy the chance to see and experience much of his actual work in person. I am a huge fan of street art, graffiti and the new breed of artists who are finally getting recognition rather than being castigated as vandals. After the incredible success in Europe and Australia, The Art of Banksy Exhibition is in Miami for a limited time. Over 1,200,000 people have visited the exhibition all around the world.

​The Art of Banksy features more than 160 of the artist’s works — Original Artworks, Prints on different kind of materials, photos, sculptures, installations, murals, and more. Some of his works are carefully reproduced with his stencil technique especially for the exhibition. A video documentary gives visitors insights into his life and work, all presented in a unique setting.  Banksy loves to provoke, shock, and even disturb society. He does it with poetry, energy, and humor. His art has the power to unite people and inspire them to change the world for the better. If you get a chance, check out the show, we found it to be pretty awesome.

https://www.artofbanksy.com/miami

Welcome to Miami

 

February 9, 2022

Welcome to Miami

Our final stop on our mini vacation tour was in Miami, where Kathy and I decided to spend a couple of nights relaxing and taking in some of what Miami has to offer before we headed back to Key West. We booked a suite at the Hotel Indigo in Brickell and settled in for a few days.

We spent a lot of time simply relaxing by the rooftop pool, reading and swimming a bit, we also took a wonderful walk across the bridge onto Brickell Key and walked completely around the perimeter of the small island, something that neither of us had ever done before. It was a beautiful walk in what was finally about perfect weather, as the cold snap that had followed us through Florida was over.

Of course, I am rarely content to just relax, so as usual I went looking for something to do and found out the University of Miami was hosting Notre Dame in basketball at the Watsco Center on campus one of the nights we were there. It has been a minute since I attended a college basketball game, so I went online and found decent and reasonable tickets for the game.

Before the game, we had a good meal at Shorty’s BBQ on south US 1 near Dadeland. The place has been sold and will be closing soon and almost certainly developed into something horrific, but we wanted to experience at least one last meal there before they are gone forever. The iconic establishment has been serving up BBQ for seventy years and will remain open until a decision on exactly what will be replacing it is made.

The game was a lot of fun. Both teams are mid-pack ACC teams, and the game was pretty close throughout, with Note Dame eventually taking the win 68-64. Paul Atkinson Jr. had a big game for Notre Dame, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Prentiss Hubb added 15 points and six assists. For Miami, Isaiah Wong was the bright spot for the Hurricanes scoring a team-high 18 points

It was great just being back in a college sports atmosphere and we had a fun night enjoying the action. The next morning, we were off to explore Wynwood, prior to going to see the new art exhibit at the Ice Palace, “The Art of Banksy”. I always love driving around the Wynwood neighborhood as it offers an ever-changing huge canvas for many of the world’s greatest graffiti artists.

As always, it did not disappoint as the walls of just about every business and warehouse are completely covered by huge murals and graffiti that is almost completely new since the last time I visited. Since that time last fall, Art Basel has happened and that is a time when the graffiti artists congregate in Wynwood and create new works, covering over whatever happened to be there.

It makes for a constantly shifting flow of new artwork and exposes the fleeting nature o graffiti art, it is really never meant to last, which to me just adds to its value and uniqueness. Of course the very idea that there is a traveling show highlighting one of the most famous graffiti artists sort of challenges that notion.

https://shortys.com/