The exhibition BANKSY and Street Art presents, for the first in the city of Pisa, a large body of works by the great artist of Bristol, alongside, some of the most significant names in Street Art.
The exhibition is curated by Daniel Buso and organized by ARTIKA in collaboration with Deodato Arte and the Municipality of Pisa. To be documented is an indisputable phenomenon of contemporary art and culture. What saw street art, in the turn of a few years, go from being an underground and minority expression, shy away from the great galleries and museums, to becoming the most well-known and mainstream artistic current in the world. Through the works of the most important street artists of our time, the intrinsic contradictions of a movement that has dismayed the world are investigated, overturning every possible prediction.
The absolute protagonist of the exhibition is of course Banksy, to date the most important exponent of the whole Street Art. The mystery around his figure and his increasingly controversial and openly opposed works against “the powerful” of the world, increasing more and more the myth of an unreachable and revolutionary artist. But, with success, the criticisms also came. Can we still define street works that are sold for millions of dollars? Is it right that, after years of propaganda against the art system, it is now the street artists at its summit?
The exhibition at the Arsenali Repubblicani also houses two sacred monsters of Street Art, active in the twentieth and 21st centuries respectively. The first is Keith Haring. Becoming famous thanks to the murals made in the subways of the 80’s, Haring has created a new communicative language whose black graphic sign is the main form. “It is increasingly clear to me that art is not an elitist activity reserved for the appreciation of a few: art is for everyone and this is the end I want to work on.” The other great artist is Shepard Fairey, in art Obey. Currently one of the most important street artists in the world. Shepard Fairey immediately realized how the society in which he was born and grew up taught him how to move between images, which now dominate our lives, but without in fact explaining the meaning. This society that led him to obedience without him having completely knowledge of the cause was the reason for choosing his name as an artist: Obey means “to obey”.
Exhibition by Daniel Buso
An ARTIKA production
In collaboration Deodato.Gallery and Municipality of Pisa
Tickets can be purchased directly at the venue or at www.midaticket.it