HK Art Exhibition - Banksy: Who's Laughing now?

I visited the art exhibition showcasing works of the famous anonymous street art revolutionist known as Banksy. 28 artworks are on displayed, including some of his most famous works and some unknown unique pieces, all from an important European Collection. The artworks are really aesthetically pleasing, but I kept wondering about the stories and message behind each piece of work. Therefore, I've done a little research on some of my favourite pieces shown in the exhibition and hope to share with you all.

Girl with Balloon

This famous work of Banksy is depicting a young girl with her hand extended toward a red heart-shaped balloon carried away by the wind. Many of you may have heard of this piece of work from the recent news. On 5 October 2018, a framed copy of the work spontaneously shredded during an auction, by a mechanical device Banksy had hidden in the frame. Only the lower half was shredded and the work has been given a new title, Love Is in the Bin. The auction house later released a statement saying that it is "the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction." However, this piece of work is already famous long before this incident happens. It was created by Banksy in 2002 and variants of this design has been used several times used to support social campaigns, such as the West Bank barrier in 2005, the Syrian refugees crisis in 2014, and the UK election in 2017.

Monkey Poison, my favourite piece in the exhibition. I love how Banksy contrasts the monkey against the background and make it really stands out. The background of the painting was painted with fine strokes and really focusing on the details. The lighting and shadowing make it seems more like a representation of the real world. Only looking at this part, the painting could certainly pass as one of the fine works made in medieval times. While the main object of the painting, the monkey, is painted in a very modern style. It is somehow cartoon-like, painted with big strokes and only have the outline of the monkey instead of its detailed features. Banksy often uses animals to comment upon today’s society. The monkey shown in the painting is one of Banksy’s most iconic figure along with rats. They are used to caricature the humans’ way of living and thinking.

Grannies

My friend and I laughed about how this could be us in 60 years, knitting and chatting over a cup of tea. As we look closely, we figured out the words on the knitted sweater reads "Punk's Not Dead" and "Thug For Life". The contradiction between the words and the usual perception of grannies urges us to go deeper into what Banksy is trying to bring out in this painting. We were guessing that this reminds us that the older generations might have a rebellious past even if they now look all serene and benevolent. Furthermore, it could be interpreted that he believes they should pass down the rebellious and adventurous spirit along with their knitted jumpers, to their grandchildren, the future generation.

The exhibition will only be available until 7 December 2018.

So be sure to go and check out all the 28 pieces of beautiful artworks before they're gone!

Hope that you will enjoy your time there as much as I do! xoxo

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday

10a.m. - 6p.m.