So, you’ve heard all about it I am sure, and you all have your own opinions and either think its the best thing ever or the worst thing ever, but sure as shit the announcement of a big exhibition of Banksys work in our little ‘ol Melbourne sure does have everyone talking. The last time Banksy made any kind of splash in Melbourne was back when hardly anyone even knew him, and he visited to create a bunch of pieces across the city (some long gone, some still surviving).

Anyways, if you’ve been living under a rock, here’s some of the press release ..

“Bringing the historic streets of London to the steps of Melbourne, the exhibition will take visitors on a sort of journey, exploring the questionable genius of the world’s most infamous street artist with a retrospective of over 80 of the artists’ off-street masterpieces.

Most famously known for his stencilling technique, Banksy’s artwork combines dark humour with underlying political messages and social themes, which have made him one of the biggest contemporary artists of our time.

Curated by the artists’ former manager, Steve Lazarides, the exhibition presents the largest collection of Banksy artworks to reach Australian shores, including the iconic ‘Girl with Balloon’, ‘Flag Wall’ and ‘Laugh Now pieces’. The exhibition also includes three pieces that have never been publicly exhibited.

All works that are included in The Art of Banksy exhibition are original works and limited edition screen prints by Banksy himself, which are all unique in their form.

The Art of Banksy enclosure has been custom designed and built to securely exhibit not only the Banksy collection, but also an inspiring selection of both well-known and up-and-coming local Street Artists on the surrounding external surfaces and the inside walls of the exhibition’s own Circle Bar.

The outside area, ‘Railyard’, will house a rotation of Food Trucks, curated by the team at Welcome to Thornbury. To refresh your palette, craft beers and summer favourite cocktails will be served at the Circle Bar. The Railyard will host Live DJ’s to indulge the crowd on selected Friday nights and during Saturday sessions, heightening the Melbourne summer vibe.

“This exhibition is a one off – never will you be able to see this amount of work in one place again. Once the show is over, the artwork will dissipate back to the other 40 collectors around the world, and the likelihood of them being brought together again in the future is very slim.”
– Steve Lazarides.”

Obviously Banksy is a big deal and all that, but the other big thing for us here is the fact that this show also includes a horde of local artists showing off their work – and though the work of Banksy work is pretty clever and definitely has its place, in our opinion some of our local artists certainly have a hell of a lot more to offer in the actual talent chops, so its great to see that they are being well represented here alongside such a globally popular artist – kudos for actually involving local artists!

The local artists being represented are – Bailer, Be Free, Conrad Bizjak, Dvate, Heesco, Jack Douglas, Kaff-eine, Lucy Lucy, Makatron, Mike Eleven, Putos, Ruskidd, Sirum and 23rd Key.

All the panels that will be created by the local artists will be sold off, and the money for them will be donated towards helping out the homeless of Melbourne.

Okay, on the show itself … I’m generally against any kind of fee for viewing art (including at galleries!), and for some reason they are selling tickets to this event. Banksy has always done his work on the streets, for free to those who wish to view it … that the event is selling tickets to go and see it … well, sure there’s a few live DJs, but does that justify a $30 entry fee to see the collection? Well, we do know the local artists are being paid, so hopefully some of the ticket money is going to them, in which case, that’d be grand.

A lof people have a lot of issues with this show for a variety of reasons, including the lack of consent for it from the artist…. but that said, Banksy himself doesn’t always paint on the streets for free, and he has sold a heap of artwork in a heap of shows for a crapload of money – and good on him, an artist should get paid for doing what they love. But he’s also had a heap of artwork stolen off the streets, and other people making money off him which hasn’t ended up in his pocket … and on the flip side, a lot of people just love Banksys work and don’t give a shit about the whole history of it all, and just enjoy the art – kudos to them as well.

So, we’ll leave any other feelings about this exhibition to our readers and put aside discussing the whole morals of this show, you all have your own points of view, and going into the whole debate is a massive rabbithole of pointless exercise in frustration at the end of the day, though, you do have to admit that regardless of issues of integrity, it sound like a pretty rare collection of work on display from an artist who has most definitely contributed a hell of a lot to the global street art movement.

Theres a website here with all the details, as well as a spot to go and buy tickets for the show here …

Ps – BAILER, BE FREE, CONRAD BIZJAK, DVATE, HEESCO, JACK DOUGLAS, KAFF-EINE, LUCY LUCY, MAKATRON, MIKE ELEVEN, PUTOS, RUSKIDD, SIRUM and 23rd KEY

Banksy rats in Melbourne – image via Melbourneartcritic.com

Who: Banksy …. and … Bailer, Be Free, Conrad Bizjak, Dvate, Heesco, Jack Douglas, Kaff-eine, Lucy Lucy, Makatron, Mike Eleven, Putos, Ruskidd, Sirum And 23rd Key
What: The Art Of Banksy exhibition
Where: The Paddock, Federation Square, Melbourne
When: Show opens 7 October 2016 and runs until January, 2017