THE ART OF BANKSY WITHOUT LIMITS arrives in Montreal

The exhibition THE ART OF BANKSY WITHOUT LIMITS, which has traveled all over the world and been seen by 1,5 million visitors, will open its doors at the Maison du Festival on August 16. The event presents more than 170 works, several of which are certified, new prints on different media, sculptures, murals and photographs.

A subversive and anonymous street artist on the fringes of the system, Banksy always proclaimed that he was not a fan of museums or galleries. He even once said, “When you go to an art gallery, you are just a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires.” His works, created in the street so that as many people as possible can enjoy them, have thus become symbols of popular culture. Hanging them and reproducing them with a stencil in an exhibition room can therefore raise many questions in itself. Especially since the event is one of the many unauthorized exhibitions by the British artist.

However, the fact remains that this rich overview of the artist's work over several years, accompanied by a video documentary, allows us to know more about his life and his work, and even, for some, to discover them.

Several rooms explore Banksy's key political messages – around conflict, consumerism, capitalism – through murals, prints, sculptures and installations. One section is devoted to the artist's activism on behalf of refugees, another includes reproductions of recently created murals following the events in Ukraine.

On the walls, ceiling and floor of an “infinity room” populated with mirrors, works are also projected in the style of the highly successful digital exhibitions on Van Gogh or Monet.

Finally, some of the artist's best-known works – such as Girl with Balloon, Flower Thrower and Rude Copper – as well as Mona Lisa are presented. The latter, dating from 2002, was publicly unveiled for the first time as part of The Art of Banksy in London in 2023. The Mona Lisa will be auctioned this year. After which it will probably no longer be on public display.

From August 16 at the Maison du Festival in Montreal.
Tickets are on sale now at www.theartofbanksy.com