The striking print of people queuing to buy a ‘Destroy capitalism’ t-shirt is vintage Banksy, a sharply articulated and instantly recognisable image with a caustic comment on merchandising and material culture.
But it’s much more fun when you see it in the context of The Art of Banksy, which opened last night behind Federation Square in Melbourne. You can move directly on from that to buying a Banksy t-shirt, tote, baseball cap or (we-kid-you-not) one of half a dozen Banksy fridge magnets.
The considerable merchandising selection neatly avoids Fight Capitalism or for that matter the fabulous image of traditional Aborigines hunting supermarket trolleys or the Sale Ends end-is-nigh image which conflates Christianity and consumerism,
But you can buy many of the Banksys displayed including the iconic girl with heart balloon and the flower throwing terrorist.
Banksy, of course, is an anonymous street artist known for guerilla art and strategically arms length from any money made from his art. While his work has sold for up to £102,000 (AUD 163,000) at auction, a message released through his lawyer in 2010 declared he is not represented by any galleries that sell his work and ‘has never produced greeting cards, mugs or photo canvases of his work’.
The message was a warning to those merchandising Banksy noting, ‘Banksy has a much publicised casual attitude towards recreational copyright infringement and you are invited to download whatever you wish from this site for personal use. However, making your own art or merchandise and passing it off as ‘official’ or authentic Banksy artwork is a criminal offence. As a result of complaints from members of the public several investigations are now under way by the Police and Trading Standards into incidents of fraud. These are conducted irrespective of the views of the artist and are treated extremely seriously by the authorities. Successful prosecutions may result in a custodial sentence.’
The Melbourne Banksy exhibition raises the issue sharply because it is blatantly unauthorised and the result of a very public divorce between the artist and curator Steve Lazarides. Lazarides was Banksy’s agent for 10 years and is widely credited with moving the London street art scene into a commercial gallery art form. This exhibition is constructed from his considerable personal collection as well as contributions from other private collections. Lazarides says its the retrospective Banksy would never have.
The Art of Banksy opened in Melbourne last night with an ultra-cool setting of marquee, bar and food trucks and a creative exhibition design filled with London references.
The exhibition logo is the girl with the heart balloon, cleverly and elegantly displayed in a traditional living room. Biscuits iced with Banksys are displayed in sweet shop jars alongside jellybeans and marshmallows. Banksy’s hilarious take on Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, which shows six marines on top of an old car, is displayed across a massive brick wall.
Many of the works are familiar but they still raise a smile or a sting and often both. We don’t doubt the exhibition will draw the crowds. Expect to see plenty of Banksy baseball caps on the beach this summer.
