In Vancouver, a Banksy Retrospective Is Fitting for the Times

Grey, damp, weathered, and edgy. On a winter day, Vancouver’s Gastown can resemble an English city, making it a setting compatible for a new exhibit on Banksy.

The world’s most famous street artist — arguably the most well-known artist of all time — has made an indelible mark through art that’s meant to be ephemereal but has managed to endure because of its raw, often prescient political messages. For 94 days, more than 200 of his pieces, many of them among his most iconic, will be on display in downtown Vancouver. “The Art of Banksy: Without Limits” debuts on February 20 and runs through May 25 in a distinctive building that has never before been used as an exhibition space.

Located at 1 Alexander Street at the northernmost end of the Gastown district, the property has been transformed for the show. The building’s owners needed to acquire special licenses to turn the office space into an art venue. It’s an effort that has impressed Sorina Burlacu, the producer of the exhibit.

“We were very happy to find this venue,” Burlacu said during a sneak peek event on Tuesday. “The building is more like the British style with the exposed brick walls. It is well suited for this show.”

Burlacu’s team added white walls and lighting to the space but it is the exposed red brick that best complements the aesthetic of the graffiti. The setting, unique to Vancouver’s art scene, transports the viewer to the locations of Banksy’s early fame.

“It feels like we could be in Bristol,” said Pennylane Shen, a Vancouver-based art consultant and owner of Dazed & Confucius. “Even the entrance is a bit obscured.”

Once inside, patrons will likely be captivated by the provocative, sometimes playful graphic art. Among the highlights is a hologram room where an actor playing Banksy articulates, in the artist’s words, his reasons for doing what he does.

“Graffiti has always been a temporary art form. You make your mark and then they scrub it off. It is not designed for the history books,” the man playing Banksy says. “Graffiti should be audacious and funny. But also political. A commentary on the world.”

It is the third Canadian stop for the exhibition — after runs in Montreal and London, Ontario — and features a cool interactive element. Guests can make their own T-shirt that displays one of Banksy’s famous images, such as the girl with the red balloon and “Flower Thrower”, which depicts a man throwing a “Molotov cocktail” of stems and petals.

Simply having Banksy’s presence in Vancouver for a few months will benefit the local art scene, Shen said.

“The purpose of artwork I think is to convey a message. For Banksy his work is about getting that message across in the largest and fastest way possible. He does that in the public space and avoids exhibition galleries and museums, which can serve as gatekeepers in a way. He removes that process from the elite and goes directly to the masses. He does it because he uses the graphic medium that allows him to have images that are instantly recognizable. You don’t need to be well-versed in art history to understand his message,” Shen said.

 

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There is a ferociousness in Banksy’s work that connects with the punk movement and anti-authoritarianism in general. Though symbols of anarchy are in his art, he consistently brings into focus the chaos created by the machinery meant to keep society in order: Capitalism and the consumerism it breeds. The real anarchists are the powerful governments of the world, the law-enforcement simians who follow orders, and the humans who have been rendered automatonic in the pursuit of status and wealth. Banksy observes them, and us, with cold and severe judgment, with the gavel being his graphic imagery that time and again renders truth.

The “Without Limits” show is billed as “the most comprehensive and up-to-date exhibition dedicated to the artistic genius”. While you’ll find wit and craftiness throughout, more than likely you’ll depart marvelling at Banksy’s ability to make on-point commentary about the state of the world more than two decades into his career.

MORE ABOUT “THE ART OF BANKSY: WITHOUT LIMITS”

Location: 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia (see map below)
Dates: February 20 to May 25, 2025
Website: artofbanksyca.com/vancouver
Prices: Tickets start at $23 and can be purchased online.

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