Fidenza Village Art Exhibition

THE ROOTS

Originally from Bristol, presumably born in 1974, framed by the chronicles of art in the general perimeters of Street Art, Banksy represents a unique case of popularity for a living artist since the time of Andy Warhol. To date we can consider him the greatest global artist of the new millennium, as well as being the most important faceless artist in the age of social media.

“Eventually I realized that maybe the problem was being boring and paranoid. People you know rarely listen to what you say, while perhaps they take the words of a stranger as the gospel if they find them on a record or in a book. If you want to say something and make people listen to you, you have to wear a mask. If you want to be honest, then you have to live a lie " Banksy

ROAD AND MUSEUM

Banksy uses Street Art practices to spread the work but does not at all give up traditional exhibitions in galleries and museums. The artist argues that urban work must be simple and immediate, while when she wants to represent something complex she uses the methods of a traditional artist who works in an atelier and then exhibits in an identified space.

"I come from a small town in the south of England, when I was about 10 years old the graffiti of a boy called 3D went crazy on the streets. I think he was in New York and he was the first to bring spray paint to Bristol. I grew up seeing graffiti on the street long before I saw it in a magazine or on a computer… ” Banksy

SERIGRAPHS

Between 2002 and 2009 Banksy publishes 46 printed editions which he sells through his Pictures On Walls publishing house in London. These are serigraphs that reproduce some of his most famous stencil images, many of which were used in his outdoor interventions, later becoming real "popular frescoes".

“I started painting graffiti in the classic New York Style, a style you use when you listen to a lot of hip-hop music as a kid… I wasn't good at graffiti but as soon as I cut out my first stencil I could feel its power. The ruthlessness and efficiency of the stencils is truly perfect. " Banksy

POP OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Banksy has always preferred the horizontal diffusion of images over the exclusive creation of unique objects; a lesson borrowed from Andy Warhol with his serial approach and the methodical use of screen printing. Banksy today represents the best evolution of the original Pop Art, the only one to have deeply connected the roots of Pop Art, Eighties graffiti / writing, hip-hop culture and the new approaches of digital time.

"Art is not like other cultures since its success is not determined by its audience. People fill concert halls and cinemas every day, we read novels by the millions and we buy records by the billions. We people influence the production and quality of most of our culture, but not our art. " Banksy

MESSAGES AND THEMES

Banksy's is a simple but not elementary imagery, with messages that critically examine the themes of capitalism, war, social control, freedom in the broad sense, paradoxes and contradictions that plague our time. Above all, there is constant attention to three privileged subjects: children to be protected, the elderly as a social heritage, animals as a virtuous example of justice and equity.

“The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people who break the rules but by people who follow the rules. It is the people who follow orders who drop bombs and massacre the villages. " Banksy

MONKEYS & MICE

Animals are the privileged subjects for Banksy, members of an open community that represents instinctive naivety, innate anarchy, constant fairness, the freedom to cry out what human beings have lost under the weight of social anesthesia. Mice and monkeys triumph over all the others: and it is no coincidence that the two species most similar to us in biological, organizational and relational terms are the ones who win in his imagination.

“Mice exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet despair in the dirt. Yet they are able to bring the whole of civilization to its knees ". Banksy

EXTRAORDINARY QUOTES

The works are reaching stellar values, now regularly exceeding one million euros. A small painting (like 40x40cm) costs today between 300,000 and 500,000 euros. The unique pieces are sold for several million euros. Banksy has now become the king of international auctions, representing the point of maximum attention during live sessions.

“Someone recently asked me if I think most writers are just frustrated artists like me. I am frustrated by several things, but being accepted by the art world is not one of them. It seems difficult for many to understand this but you don't paint graffiti in the vain hope that one day some overweight conservative will discover you and hang your works on a wall; if you draw on the walls in public, you are already operating at the highest level. " Banksy

INVESTMENTS

Recall that, as soon as the release of a new screen printing was announced, lucky people paid a few pounds to take home one of those pieces in circulation. In truth, a minute after buying it, the work was already worth much much more than the initial price. To give you an idea, the Girl with Balloon went on sale for 75 pounds and today a signed version is over 400,000 pounds.

"The irony is that although you have to sneak around like Jack the Ripper with a marker in hand, graffiti is about the most honest way to be an artist. You don't need money to make them, you don't have to have studied to understand them, there are no tickets to pay and bus stops are far more interesting and useful places to place an image than in museums ". Banksy

VIRAL ACTION

Banksy uses viral action instead of the old rules of engagement. The Bristol artist avoids the star model of making a few works at exorbitant prices, preferring operations in which the idea becomes a matrix to be reproduced in heterogeneous ways. As a mural stencil can be screen printing but also gadgets of various types, so a multiples shop can become an extreme travel experience (the pieces on the Walled Off Hotel can be bought at a low price but only if you stay in this hotel opened by Banksy in Bethlehem ).

“We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime, we should all go shopping to console ourselves ”. Banksy

PROVOKE TO IMPROVE

Any Banksy's operation triggers a circular and obsessive communication, as if it were a play that lights up the circuit of events, an extended-release domino effect in which the image is the starting point for connecting people, places and objects. Banksy provokes others and, at the same time, causes unstoppable consequences; in fact, he activates his visual editorials to increase the volume of the news, desecrating while weighing the moral sense of humanity.

“The quickest way to get to the top of your business is to turn it around”. Banksy