INDEX
Here comes Banksy!
Finally, we enter the exhibition area featuring the majority of the works by Banksy. There are over 30 pieces in this section alone, displayed according to themes such as “CONSUMERISM” and “WAR.” Additionally, in the area focusing on the relationship between street art and hip-hop, visitors can also see LP covers designed by Banksy.
Personally, I discovered my favorite series, the barcode series. A leopard breaks free from the barcode cage and starts walking. A similar work combining barcodes with a shark is also famous, and in both cases, the creatures that appear are dangerous, man-eating predators. From this, one can interpret a message urging us to become aware of the malice and danger lurking within the consumption system.
Banksy’s works are often conceived by combining elements that wouldn’t normally go together. A girl hugging a bomb as if it were a plush toy, a policeman with angel wings and a smiley face aiming a gun, a helicopter adorned with a giant ribbon—these jarring images make you stop in your tracks. You start putting into words why exactly they feel unsettling. If you’re with someone, you might find that what stands out to them is completely different from what catches your eye. As you engage with the works, before you know it, you’re confronting bigger questions than you expected—”What is happiness?” “What is violence?” Banksy’s name is often discussed in terms of auction prices, but ultimately, the sharpness of his artistic vision speaks for itself.
Banksy is an artist living in the same era as we are. There’s no such thing as not understanding his historical context or references—because they are the same ones we experience in real-time. There’s almost nothing he knows about modern society that we fundamentally couldn’t know ourselves (unless, of course, he happens to be a political leader or a state-secret-holding spy). And yet, there were moments when I felt frustrated, unable to fully grasp the meaning behind certain pieces. It made me realize that my awareness and knowledge in those areas are lacking. I want to be someone who can always respond vividly to Banksy’s thought-provoking visual riddles.
