Italy is not Shoreditch or Brick Lane. Often street art is frowned upon and considered trash. But this time Banksy is going to impress Rome.
“War, capitalism and freedom” is the biggest exhibition ever of Banksy’s graffiti and will be opened on 24 May at Palazzo Cipolla, in the glamorous Via del Corso, in Rome.
With more than 150 works and 50 record’s cover on show until the 4 September the event, organised by Fondazione Terzo Pilastro, puts definitely street art on a highest level.
The idea behind the Italian exhibition is to show all the main Banksy’s topics: war, capitalistic society (with a satirical use of major brands logos) and freedom. Visitors will be guided through his most iconic works, celebrating the essence of Bansky’s graffiti: freedom of expression.
Born in Bristol and active all around the world, Banksy is internationally acclaimed as the master of street art and in London there are guided tours to visit the city through his works.
His character is controversial and mysterious, though. Keeping his identity secret since the beginning, Banksy has been matter of academic debates, and not only among the youngest. According to Queen Mary University the author behind all those gigantic rats and kissing policemen is Robin Cunningham (Bristol-1973).
Despite no one knows his real name, Banksy is a symbol for new generations who love the challenging tone of his art, mixing dark humour with a dash of poetry.
His career started as freehand graffiti artist in the early 90s. His popularity grew across the decades until 2015, when he realized Dismaland, the first “bemusement park” where all Disney’s heroes were satirically destroyed and the stereotypes of a decadent fairy world was mixed with social issues such as the refugees in order to highlight the hypocrisy of western society.
The mysterious artist has been exhibited all around the world. His London exhibition in 2007 registered more than 36,000 visitors in less than a month, nurturing a community of Banksy lovers and haters.
Buy a ticket to Rome this summer, to enjoy the most controversial artist of our times.
