Banksy. An artist of this time

An exhibition at Palazzo delle Albere in Trento

SUMMER 2022 – Who is Banksy? This is what we find ourselves asking when we look at the work of the individual now considered the world’s most famous (and mysterious) street artist. To find out more, visit the Palazzo delle Albere in Trento from 19 June until November 1, 2022, for the exhibition “Banksy. An artist of this time”.

This summer, the frescoed halls of this ancient, 16^th-century villa will be home to over 100 works of art by Banksy, including some paintings, screen prints, numerous stencils, a number of installations and memorabilia.

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The Banksy exhibition at Palazzo delle Albere

The exhibition “Banksy. An artist of this time” uses a rich collection of paintings, screen prints, stencils, installations and memorabilia to invite the audience on a discovery of the mysterious universe of Banksy.

Some of the artist’s most iconic works will be on display in Trento, including those that have earned him worldwide fame. We are talking about Girl with Balloon, Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower), Love Rat, Bomb Hugger, CND Soldiers, Golf Sale, Barcode and Toxic Mary/Virgin Mary.

The itinerary is completed with a section dedicated to video production, currently one of the artist’s lesser-known fields, and a “data” section in which scientific tools are offered up to investigate the reasons behind a success story unrivalled in recent history.

The exhibition, inspired by an idea from Vittorio Sgarbi and curated by Stefano Antonelli and Gianluca Marziani, has been organised in collaboration with MetaMorfosi Eventi.

Who is Banksy?

An apparently simple question with no easy answer given that the true identity of one of the world’s best-known artists is still shrouded in mystery.

What we know for sure is that his graffiti, which provides an ironic and disillusioned take on the contradictions of our times, always goes viral within a few short hours. The artist’s enormous following on social media makes his every creation a public work of art with a global impact which enters our shared consciousness within hours of its publication.

So, even while maintaining his anonymity, Banksy has become an icon of our times and one of the few artists capable of interacting with an audience of unprecedented size. His Girl with Balloon, produced on a South Bank wall in London in 2002, has made its way around the world and can now be found on t-shirts, mugs and souvenirs from the UK capital.

The exhibition in Trento probably won’t unravel the enigma of Banksy’s identity, but it will certainly provide an answer to the question of “Who is Banksy?”