Banksy art exhibition debuts in London, Ont. next month

The Art of Banksy: Without Limits is making its Canadian debut in downtown London, Ont., on April 18.

Banksy is regarded as one of the most valuable artists of our time. Banksy is an England-based street artist and activist whose real identity remains unknown, despite being active since the 1990s. His work of political and social satire has appeared on streets, walls and bridges across the world. These pieces are so influential, people have gone so far as to cut out the walls or ground surrounding the art so his work can be moved and sold for thousands of dollars.

His most recent work was in the United Kingdom a few days ago, where he used a dying tree in front of an apartment building as the foreground for a spray-painted mural of leaves on a wall. When the tree and the leaves are viewed together from the right angle, viewers see what looks like a tree with leaves. Some users took to social media to say things like, “Great, now my rent is going to go up,” because it’s understood how important these artworks are.

He began working at the age of 14, but he was later expelled from school and served time in prison because graffiti is illegal in many places, according to a biography in The Guardian. But the art persisted.

The Banksy exhibition coming to London presents visitors with a worldwide premier hologram installation that gives them the chance to see the real Banksy like never before, according to Williams. As part of the exhibition, there will also be a unique installation featuring a room dedicated to Ukraine that features Banksy’s interventions made in an area bombed in the war with Russia.

London is the first Canadian city to host an exhibition celebrating the creativity and messages of the acclaimed and famously anonymous British street artist. The exhibition has travelled worldwide in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Asia and the United States. Over 1.7 million people have attended the exhibition so far.

The exhibition is custom built to fit the venue at 140 Dundas St., including more than 100 pieces of their work. Visitors will also have the chance to experience Banksy’s activism by spray painting their own T-shirt.

This showcase is providing the opportunity for London to continue to grow its art community. It also provides local businesses, restaurants and hotels with more support from visitors from out of town.