Monday, September 9, 2024

Unauthorized ‘Art of Banksy’ exhibit comes to Mexico City

An exhibition featuring more than 150 works by enigmatic street artist Banksy will commence in Mexico City this week.

The Art of Banksy “Without Limits” exhibition – which is not authorized by the artist – will start Saturday at the Antiguo Hotel Reforma in the inner-city neighborhood of Tabacalera. The exhibition has previously been shown in several countries including the United States, Australia, Chile, South Korea, Germany and Turkey.

According to the exhibition website, original works, prints on different kinds of materials, photos, sculptures, murals and  installations will be on show. Tickets, which cost between 250 and 350 pesos (US $12-17), are available on Ticketmaster.

The identity of Banksy, who is known for his whimsical and political street art, has never been confirmed. Numerous media reports describe the United Kingdom-based artists as “elusive,” although he has a website and an Instagram account with over 11 million followers.

A visitor at an unauthorized Banksy exhibit takes a photo of a piece from the “Girl with Balloon” series.
A visitor at an unauthorized Banksy exhibit takes a photo of a piece from the “Girl with Balloon” series. Depositphotos

He is perhaps best known for his “Girl with Balloon” series of stencil murals, which appeared in London 20 years ago.

The artist says on his website that “members of the public should be aware there has been a recent spate of Banksy exhibitions, none of which are consensual.”

“They‘ve been organized entirely without the artist’s knowledge or involvement. Please treat them accordingly,” he adds.

Despite his lack of endorsement, the exhibitions have been popular, attracting over 1.3 million people around the world, according to the Art of Banksy website.

With reports from El Financiero 

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