Genoa, Banksy exhibition at Palazzo Ducale with works throughout his career

No one has ever seen him, no one knows his face, no photos circulate showing him: yet Banksy conquers the world through works of unprecedented ethical, evocative and thematic power. Originally from Bristol, born around 1974, framed within the generic boundaries of Street Art, Banksy represents an exemplary case of enormous popularity for a living artist. And now Banksy is also set to conquer the public at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa , where, from Nov. 23, 2019 to March 29, 2020, the exhibition The Second Principle of an Artist Called Banksy, curated by Stefano Antonelli, Gianluca Marzani and Acoris Andipa, is on view.

The exhibition brings together original works and objects by the British artist. There are freehand paintings from the very early stage of his career and numerous stencils. There are the silkscreens that Banksy considers vital in spreading his messages. There are installation objects and other works from Dismaland (such as the sculpture Mickey Snake with Mickey swallowed by a python).

Banksy questions concepts such as uniqueness, originality and above all the truth of the work, sketching a new vision that proposes something new about the relationship between the work and the market, effectively establishing a new status of the artwork, a new truth of art itself: the original unmarketable work. Banksy has always preferred the horizontal dissemination of images over the creation of unique objects. A lesson borrowed from Andy Warhol with his serial approach and methodical use of silkscreen printing. As has been reiterated by many international signatures, Banksy represents the best evolution of the original Pop Art, the only one who connected the roots of Pop, hip hop culture, 1980s graffiti art, and the new approaches of digital time.

Banksy’s is a simple but not elementary imagery, with messages that examine the themes of capitalism, war, social control, and freedom in an extended sense and within the paradoxes of our time.

Claims Stefano Antonelli, “Banksy wrote that ’If you want to say something and you want people to listen to you, then wear a mask. If you want to tell the truth you have to lie.’ Later he also said ’You will never know who I am and any truth I tell will be disguised as a lie.’ Translating the two statements, Banksy’s first principle states that he has something to say, the second that what he has to say is a truth. Having something to say is the artistic mandate by definition; that it is truth is by no means a given. According to Hegel, religion offers us truth as representation, philosophy as the supreme form of the concept, and art as the form of the sensible. Through this perspective we can argue how Banksy’s work is a truth that he administers to our senses so that we can perceive it. Now, we only need to understand what truth it is. However, the second principle suggests to us that the artist presents truths in the form of lies. And here the contradiction becomes unsolvable, until we realize that the short circuit makes him one of the most truthful and profound artists of our time.”

The exhibition is conceived and produced by MetaMorfosi Associazione Culturale in collaboration with Palazzo Ducale Fondazione per la Cultura, promoted by the City of Genoa and the Region of Liguria.

For all information you can visit the official website of Palazzo Ducale in Genoa.

Genoa, Banksy exhibition at Palazzo Ducale with works throughout his career

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