Renowned graffiti artist Banksy has announced his highly anticipated solo exhibition, marking his first official showcase in 14 years. The exhibition, titled "CUT & RUN: 25 years card labour," will
be hosted at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art starting from Sunday.
The comprehensive exhibition will feature artworks spanning Banksy's entire career. Using original stencils, the artist has created new iterations of his iconic pieces, including the famous "Kissing Coppers," which originally appeared on a wall of the Prince Albert pub in Brighton back in 2004.
Another notable artwork on display will be "Mobile Lovers," created in Bristol in 2014, portraying a couple embracing while absorbed in their respective screens.
Banksy's previous large-scale project was the temporary art installation known as Dismaland, held in a Somerset resort and featuring the collaborative work of over 50 artists, such as Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, and Jimmy Cauty. This upcoming exhibition aims to provide an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse into Banksy's artistic process, showcasing original sketches and the stencils themselves, revitalized with fresh paint.
Notoriously elusive, Banksy rarely grants interviews and has remained anonymous since 2003. Though his true identity remains undisclosed, he is estimated to be around 50 years old and hails from the Bristol area. In a characteristic tongue-in-cheek statement, Banksy explained his decision to exhibit the stencils, stating, "I've kept these stencils hidden away for years, mindful they could be used as evidence in a charge of criminal damage. But that moment seems to have passed, so now I'm exhibiting them in a gallery as works of art. I'm not sure which is the greater crime."
Among the exhibition's highlights is a detailed model illustrating the ingenious mechanism behind Banksy's shredding of his own artwork, "Girl With Balloon," during a 2018 auction at Sotheby's in London. The painting, which had just been sold for £1 million, partially self-destructed as an alarm triggered a hidden shredder within the frame. Banksy subsequently renamed the altered artwork "Love Is In The Bin," and the original buyer later sold it for over 20 times its initial price.
Other captivating exhibits include Stormzy's Union Flag stab vest worn during his headline performance at Glastonbury in 2019 and previously unseen works from Bethlehem in the West Bank, such as a depiction of a pillow fight between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian citizen.
Banksy's last solo exhibition in Glasgow took place in 2001 when he was still a relatively unknown artist. Titled "Peace Is Tough," it was jointly organized with Jamie Reid at The Arches venue and featured early works like "Monkey Queen." Although sparsely attended, the event marked an early milestone in Banksy's career.
Addressing the surge in unauthorized exhibitions globally, including "The Art of Banksy," the announcement for Banksy's new show humorously states, "While the unauthorized Banksy shows might look like sweepings from my studio floor, CUT & RUN really is the actual sweepings from my studio floor."
The exhibition in Glasgow promises to be a momentous artistic event, drawing art enthusiasts and fans of Banksy's captivating and thought-provoking works from around the world. Photo by QuentinUK, Wikimedia commons.