Finally popped my Flickr cherry and posted a bunch of pics from the Banksy exhibition that's just finished in the UK for anyone that's interested.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25778398@N ... 101227129/

Apologies for the sub-standard QC . . . my little point and shoot camera struggled with the 'No Flash Photography' rule.

I fear I may be forced to buy a decent camera and become a Flickr fiend . . . please feel free to PM hatemail if I turn into Geo or start posting pics of what I had for breakfast!

Haha, this is my favorite post in a long time.

Hey Andy, they're not that bad. The museum looked pretty murky when i saw a piece about it on the news.
I wish i could have got down to it. I really wanted to see the automated bits......oh well.

My Mum gave me the Daily Mail newspaper that revealed his identity awhile back.Its a good read.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... urbia.html

I wanted to go to this, then I went to the one at covent garden and realised that I don't actually want to see Banksy in a museum, I prefer him on the street where I first saw him.

I know what you mean, that's why i was more interested in his automated sculptures. I think he has thrown up some new stuff recently in London. I can't remember where though.

Nice pics Andy!

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.
Dig this one.

Great exhibit, thanks for sharing Andy.

Thanks very much for posting. I'll forward the link to some collector friends who will enjoy your photos, I'm sure.

wish i took that trainride to the museum when i was in london

Glad the pics were well received.

I'm no art whore and we only called in as we were passing by on vacation, but the format of the exhibition was on an amazing scale and major respect has to go to Bristol City Museum for essentially letting Banksy have a free rein to do whatever he liked over the 3 floors of traditional exhibits and gallery spaces.

Apart from the mocked-up studio scenario and roomful of canvas's and mounted pieces there was a hall of animatronic installations, the main reception/information desk was replaced with the burnt-out ice-cream van and Banksy had dotted random pieces or 'accessorized' existing exhibits (the usual mix of stuffed animals, fossils, art and artifacts etc) throughout the very traditional Edwardian museum.

According to all the hype, everything was installed overnight and only 4 of the Museum Top-Brass knew what was going on . . . all other employees were told it was some filming being done and it was a closed-set . . . it was free entry with Banksy's books selling for retail and some overpriced posters (not prints) available but all proceeds were going direct to the Museum (which given the volume of attendees would have netted them big £££). As part of the deal it was negotiated that all CCTV footage of installing and removing the exhibits would be destroyed to maintain the mystery.

Whether Banksy is one man, a network of people or a group working closely together, the diversity, quantity and complexity of the exhibition was astounding, and even if you think the social commentary is all piss and vinegar, pulling it off with this level of integrity made me a convert and brought a lot of trade, business and tourists to Bristol (not real high on the list of British cities to visit) in a time of economic doom and gloom.

I'm off to photograph my cup of tea and half eaten custard cream! . . . Twitter, Flickr or Facebook . . . I'm spoilt for choice!

Great great stuff, thanks Andy!

I think it is one man, but in the early day's he had his "Banksy clones". Who would do smaller stencils, like the rats. This is how he got a lot of stuff out there and using the stencils, the artwork work would all be consistent. The furthest flung Banksy i've seen was just his tag, but it was on the pedestrian bridge in Harajuku, near kiddyland(or whatever it's called, the massive toy shop). It did make me smile.

Actually I think it's the other way. In the early days he was just him. He hooked up with Laz who effectively became the brains behind the project calling shots and/or pointing him in directions.
Also his artistic output is too broad for it to be just one man.
He's not a collective, like Faile, but he is no longer a lone tagger.

HOLY SHIT!
I can't believe they did this! This is just around the corner from my flat and has been there for years and years, this peice is right on the high street and the pride and joy of Stokey...
This is depressing me.

http://tinyurl.com/l3r6dl
You may need to reload, the Hackney Gazette seems to get alot of run time errors... What do you expect, 's 'ackney, innit?

I've never really looked into Banksy 'mythology' but this was my impression after seeing the exhibition. It would be a major artistic leap from stencils on the street to animatronic animals and burnt-out Ice cream vans of the standard that were on display . . . there has to be a facilitator or someone developing and manufacturing all this stuff on his/their behalf . . .

Maybe he gets people who don't know each other, to make different parts, but none of them know who it's for or what their part will be. Then he brings it altogether, proper secret squirrel. Just a thought. But yes, your right, he must have a team of model makers and scupltors who do this stuff for him. The whole reason he got into stenciling was that his free hand spraying were'nt up to much.

Council in "acting like twats" shocker...what's weirder is they were trespassing on that woman's property to do it!!

. . . and she was totally in the dark due to a bureaucratic cock-up . . . blech!

Really not impressed at all. I used to think Banksy's work was so clever, this stuff just looks like art school shit. Pixelating portraits strapping some leather cock underwear onto a statue. An i-pod on Madonna with child. I expected much more creativity from Banksy. But, these pieces do shine.

Thanks Andy for posting.

I like that some old person is arguing with suits about the difference of "street art" and "graffiti'.

I think it should be up to a property owner though to put whatever they want up on their house, that's kind of bullshit, and they should have let them know they were there to paint regardless of the letters and should have had the home owner approve any new color.

So does the home owner get to sue for the "value" of the piece that the city ruined? That would be a nice bonus and stick it back to them at the same time for being idiots. Personally I just see banksy's street stuff as graffiti, and really really bad grafffiti at that.

hahahahahaha, nice find. We'll never know his true identity, with that cape and mask .