Banksy, known for his eccentricity, is regarded as one of the most controversial artists. He sneakily delivered and hung his own work inside the Metropolitan Museum (New York), and then recorded innocent viewers glancing at it; He produced 500 counterfeit Paris Hilton albums (completed with a booklet filled with mockery towards the socialite singer) and artfully swapped them in record stores. All these statements made Banksy the anti-social hero of our time. His extremely likeable aesthetic and sensitivity to his ‘sites’ also made Banksy’s work collectable art pieces. ‘Banksy – The World’s Most Controversial Street and Stencil Artist’ is now showing at Schoeni Art Gallery, exhibiting many pieces unseen in Hong Kong before including graffiti pieces Banksy conceived at the ‘Exhistencilism’ after party in LA in 2002.

Text: Ron Lam | Translation: dilettante | Update: 30 Apr 2008

BANKSY – THE WORLD’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL STREET AND STENCIL ARTIST
Now – 13 May 2008
Schoeni Art Gallery at Central,
Hong Kong
www.schoeni.com.hk