One of the things I started to enjoy while traveling in recent years is discovering street art. While London and Berlin, for instance, are famous for street art, I like exploring less-mainstream places too. Freetown Christiania or Plovdiv street art are great places to visit for street art. Planning my recent trip to Prague and browsing through the best things to do in Prague, I found The World of Banksy Exhibit. I have to say from the start that the exhibition isn’t sanctioned by the artist, but I couldn’t say no to a collection of Banksy art anyway. After all, you don’t get to see a street art exhibit too often.
Banksy Art and the Artist
I won’t go into detail about Banksy and his identity. He prefers to remain anonymous even though he is probably the most famous street artist. There are enough suppositions about who he is, and I am not in a position to make one. And whether it’s for safety (graffiti is still illegal in most places), marketing, or just to be able to have a personal life, let’s respect that wish.
His art is always making a statement. Banksy is protesting through his art against consumerism or politics. His murals are meant to be seen by millions of people and make them meditate about the issues he presents.
Take the piece below, for instance. It’s a simple drawing, yet it says so much! It represents perfectly the attitude we, Europeans, had through the migrants’ crisis recently.
The World of Banksy Project
This art of Banksy exhibition project currently runs in 5 different cities (early 2022). Each exhibition presents more than 100 Banksy art pieces in a special location. They display original-size mural paintings but also canvases and video installations.
You can find a World of Banksy Exhibition (at the moment) in:
- Prague – St.Michael church at Michalska 662/29, very close to the top Prague attractions
- Milan – Galleria dei Mosaici in the Milan Central station
- Paris – Espace Lafayette at 44 Rue du Faubourg, Montmartre
- Barcelona – Espacio Trafalgar at Carrer Trafalgar 34 08010
- Dubai – Mall of Emirates Theater, Al Barsha Sheikh Zayed
The Art of Banksy Exhibition in Prague (2021)
The exhibit is on two floors in an old church building. Each piece matches the original size. Apart from the best-known murals, there are also displays of other types of Banksy’s art. Each piece has a note explaining what it refers to.
It takes about an hour to see the whole exhibition, but it’s not very crowded, and you can extend your visit if you want. You will also find a souvenir shop before you leave.
I must repeat that the World of Banksy Exhibition is not a project in collaboration with the artist or sanctioned in any way. However, for me, it was among the best things to do in Prague. I appreciate Banksy’s work, and it was a great experience to see so many of his artworks in a single exhibition.
Useful info
The exhibit in Prague is open until the end of February 2022. You can visit any day from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. An adult ticket costs 360Kc, which translates to about 15€.
Final thoughts about the art of Banksy exhibition
There are some issues that I need to say here. Though I enjoyed the exhibit very much, I don’t think such a display should exist without the artist’s consent. Copyright should be established for street art as well. And if I’m willing to pay to see it, the artist should receive royalties. I know there have been some trials on this topic, and it’s not easy to find the border between street art in public places and copyright, but we need to get there.
I’ll end this post with the image of hope.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I would love to see one of these exhibits, I do love his work, and the mysterious personna. I do see the dilemma surrounding getting the artist’s consent and paying royalties.
It is something to consider, though I am grateful that I was able to see such an exhibit.
I would be interested in visiting one of these museums. I think there’s an interesting juxtaposition between what his art represents, having a souvenir shop and the fact that, as you mentioned, this is making money off his back when he has not consented. I wonder if his being anonymous contributes to it at all. Would it be harder to have an exhibit like this if we knew who he was?
Great post. There’s an interesting tension between the wider access to Banksy’s art that exhibitions like this allow, and the inevitable commercialism and (some might say) exploitation of a non-sanctioned display. But then again, life’s like that – a dull shade of grey rather than stark clear black and white. Which is true of many Banksy paintings too 🙂
I do love Banksy works. They make such an impact and a strong moral message too. I’ll try and see if I can make it to Milan!
We had the Banksy exhibition in Toronto a few years ago but I didn’t get a chance to visit. I wondered how they displayed it, so thank you for answering that question!
Looks great, we were hoping to visit the one in Prague but run out of time.
Oh, I’m sorry you missed it!
I love his art! His art really communicates messages so clearly. I agree if they make money from it then the artist should get a fair cut as they are profiting off of him.
I’m a big fan too. Thanks for reading, Vanessa!
This is great. Thank you for all the info. And, yes, there is always hope.
Thanks for stopping by, Jen!