Overview
Melburnians, your winter plans now include a date with the biggest name in street art there is: Banksy. The mysterious artist won't be there. Or, if they are, no one would know anyway. More than 180 works will showcase Banksy's art, however, including infinity rooms and simulations that play with some of Banksy's most famous creations.
The Art of Banksy: Without Limits made its Australian debut in Brisbane in 2023, and has also been on display in Adelaide and Sydney since. Next stop: District Docklands from Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tickets are on sale from 7pm on Thursday, April 18.
A massive collection of pieces by the art world's chief enigma — including the darkly satirical, overtly political work that has turned the stencil-loving artist into such an infamous icon — The Art of Banksy: Without Limits' hefty array of artworks include Banksy's certified art, prints on a heap of different materials, plus photos and sculptures as well. For an immersive experience, there's installations — physical and digital — alongside murals and mapping shows.
One such installation: a simulation of Dismaland Bemusement Park. Another: that mirrored infinity room. Banksy's murals in Ukraine also get a nod, and one space is devoted to the MV Louise Michel, the 30-metre-long high-speed lifeboat funded by Banksy that patrols the Mediterranean to rescue refugees.
Attendees will also be peering at reproductions of Banksy's works that have been made exclusively for this exhibition, recreating some of the artist's pieces using — of course — stencils.
Flower Thrower, Kissing Coppers and sculpture Phone Booth make an appearance — and spray painting your own shirt is an option.
Adding Melbourne to its list of stops alongside Istanbul, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Bucharest, Cluj and Budapest, plus Riyadh, Vienna, Warsaw, Seoul, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Chile, Seattle and Mexico City, The Art of Banksy: Without Limits will run daily and take between 45–60 minutes to wander through. And yes, you can snap away for the 'gram while you're there.
The Art of Banksy: Without Limits will display at District Docklands, 440 Docklands Drive, Melbourne, from Wednesday, June 12, 2024, with tickets on sale now — head to the exhibition's website for more details.