Banksyland, a twenty-two-city international touring exhibition of work by the British artist Banksy just closed in Austin. Don’t worry if you missed it.
Banksyland was a fine opportunity to see many of the artist’s authenticated prints, a few authenticated and many unauthenticated originals, as well as copies of originals… and arguably that could be enough, but it is poorly curated and therefore it missed an opportunity to educate visitors about what is exceptional about this artist who often has been underappreciated in the art world. The tremendous market success of Banksy’s work has done nothing to endear him to art critics and academics, which is a shame because his work is conceptually strong and highly influential.
The anonymous street artist, probably born around 1970 in Bristol, England, is one of the world’s most famous artists. His subversive, satirical graffiti blurs the lines between vandalism and art which is essential to his anti-capitalist and political themes. Yet, there is nothing in the exhibition to provide a context for his powerful, smart work or his guerilla-style methods. There are no wall texts, no audio guides, and no informational videos. The result is a haphazard and disorganized exhibition.
The more egregious failing of the exhibition is the lies. Two employees told me in earnest that the show is authorized by Banksy. As it states right on the Banksyland website, the artist has not authorized the exhibition.
The same employees stated that proceeds from the exhibition will be going to a nonprofit that supports arts education in schools, but it is not clear exactly who will receive the donations and how much they will get. In May the Seattle Times reported that Elle Miller, who founded the company One Thousand Ways to produce the show, says she intended for the company to be a nonprofit but that didn’t pan out.
It also stated in the article that One Thousand Ways had the logo of the arts organization America for the Arts on the Banksyland website and an opportunity for visitors to donate to the organization with $5.00 added to a ticket purchase. A spokesperson for America for the Arts said the organization does not have a relationship with Banksyland. Miller acknowledged that she in fact had not been in touch with the arts organization.
The post Banksyland in Austin: When Curators Don’t Curate and Organizers Don’t Tell the Truth first appeared on The Art Minute.
