New Banksy Exhibition At Underground Atlanta Not Condoned By The Artist
“Welcome Mat” 2020 is one of the original Banksy creations on display at the exhibit. (photo by Summer Evans)
Summer Evans
“The Art of Banksy: Without Limits” presented by SEE Global Entertainment opens today in the newly renovated space of Underground Atlanta.
But Banksy — who is famously anonymous and an anti-capitalist — has denounced this exhibition and several others bearing his name. On his website, he wrote, “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.”
When questioned about this unauthorized exhibition, the curator, Guillermo Quintana, said, “Sure, like Banksy is not okay with these kinds of exhibitions, but they noticed that we have good intentions.”
Quintana says the exhibition was created to pay homage to the British street artist.
When pressed if Banksy receives any of the profits from the ticket or merchandise sales, he said, “Who is Banksy? We don’t know the account for Banksy, so maybe if we had the account of Banksy, we could make that donation.”
Since Banksy doesn’t receive any of the proceeds, Quintana and his team decided to donate $2 from every t-shirt sold to Banksy’s refugee rescue boat the “Louis Michel.”
In the exhibit, a total of 20 works of art are originals, while the other 100 plus works are replications. Three Atlanta artists participated in the recreation of street art murals throughout the exhibit.
In South Korea, the exhibit received backlash and requests for refunds due to the lack of Banksy originals on display.
The exhibit will be on view Sept. 3 through Jan. 9.
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