Exhibition Of The Most Controversial Artist In The World | Zadar Does Banksy

“Zadar does Banksy” is the name of the exhibition that will be open to visitors until October. Zadar has thus once again become the center of world art after the exhibitions of Chagall, Warhol, Dali and Picasso. The exhibition consists of 70 Bansky exhibits as well as works of other authors inspired by Bansky and Bansky’s works inspired by other authors with whom he worked on great projects such as Dismaland.

The exhibition was brought to Zadar by the National Museum in cooperation with David Razjancev from Deva Puri Gallery with whom the museum had already cooperated in some earlier exhibitions. Razjancev has been personally following Banksy‘s works for 20 years, collecting his things and has gotten to know many collectors. 

- The message is Banksy and all that he represents. These are many things in the last 30 years. The exhibition extends through six rooms, each of which carries its own message, strong and clear, just like the artist himself. It is interesting that in the past ten years 90 percent of this artist’s exhibitions throughout Europe are fake. Namely, he does not exist and that is where the problem arises with author’s rights whereby anyone can set up an exhibition in his name – Razjancev explained to us.

He pointed out that there are many works all over the world stating they belong to Bansky but the authenticity can certainly be proven.

– We wanted to bring things here that are real. The graphics are his, and it is to be known that they derive from his POW Prisoners of War volta, where his other works were sold as well as other works he wanted to let out and that were created by his hands – our interlocutor emphasized.

Therefore, what you can see in the exhibition are some of his original prints, among which are the most famous Flying Copper, Monkey Queen, Bomb Hugger, Flag and Gulf Sale, the famous hand-sprayed cover of Röyksopp's record and other records with his most renowned graphic designs such as Flower Thrower, One Day We‘ll Be In Charge, Happy Choppers. 

Among the exhibited works are posters for Greenpeace Banksy‘s Wall Of Hotel, Dismaland and numerous film posters. The exhibition includes graphic works of other authors that influenced Bansky’s art such as Warhol, Picasso and Black le Rata. Some works represent the works of younger artists to whom Bnsky was a model, and who had worked with him in his Dismaland project such as Cauty, Shriggley and Gillette.

– Banksy is one of the most controversial artists of contemporary times, first of all due to the fact that his identity has never been confirmed. In his thirty years of art, Banksy is not only engaged in activism and drawing graffiti, but also in filmmaking, painting, and photography. It is assumed that he was born in 1974 in a small town next to Bristol, but two contradictions are connected to him. The first one refers to the fact that he is at the same time famous and anonymous. The fact that he works under a pseudonym and that his identity has never been confirmed has made his name a global brand and he has become a cultural and social phenomenon. The second contradiction refers to his relationship towards art, possession and the very nature of the work of art. On one hand, his works reach millions and on the other he struggles against the commercialization of art - Lorena Peroš, head of the Marketing Department and PR of Zadar National Museum explained to us.