The semi-anonymous Banksy is a notorious British street artist who is known for his small painting of a can of soup, in honor of Andy Warhol—that he sneaked onto a gallery wall at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Recently he had posted up enormous billboards with rats doing various activities which represented New York City. One rat, at Howard and Broadway, is holding a briefcase filled of money accompanied with text that reads, “Let them eat crack.” Another is found whitewashing the wall at the corner Houston and MacDougal that states, “There’s no such thing as good publicity.” The last rat wears an “I heart New York” shirt at Grand and Wooster. When word had spread that he had opened his first exhibit at 89 Seventh Avenue South in early October, being highly interested in the works of street artists, I decided to visit the exhibit to soak in a rather amusing experience and a brilliant use of animatronics. Banksy’s eccentric art is refreshingly new and emphasizes his signature twisted humor no matter what the canvas may be.
Arriving at the doors of the exhibit after a line filled with seemingly die hard Banksy fans, we enter into a relatively small space fit for about twenty people or perhaps even less. It looked like an actual pet shop with tanks and cages organized in such a way comparable to Petco’s layout but with a twisted Saw movie effect with darkness and obscure lighting.
The exhibit included fish sticks swimming in a fish tank, surveillance camera birds, makeup applying bunnies, a fur coat that resembled a leopard, and hotdog/sausage hamsters. Each work displayed the most realistic appearance and posed the question of “what if?” which made each piece increasingly intriguing. One of my favorites is the Chicken McNuggets that are made to resemble baby chicks sipping barbeque sauce that can be seen from the store’s window display. I found this absolutely adoring though a bit contradictory in the way I consume McNuggets every time I visit McDonalds. Another piece is what I can only describe as the Warner Bro’s Tweety Bird (if he were real and still alive today). He had a realistic appeal and the movements were on par to what I remember, swinging from his perch in a hanging cage. With the use of animatronics, Banksy is able to take his art form to an entirely new level.
Moreover, another piece from afar that grasped my attention was a primate within the confines of a large cage. A closer look struck me with surprise as it was a chimpanzee pleasuring himself while watching chimp pornography. While observing the animatronic, I was astonished at the level of detail and work that was put into the hair, the movement of the belly as if he were actually breathing, and even the blinking eyes that moved along with the images on the television set. This piece was by far my favorite; it was hilarious and morbid at the same time. It certainly captured the essence of Banksy that is his innovation and twisted humor.
Interestingly enough, the show did not include any of his identifiable works such as stencils and pop art, but was filled entirely with animatronics portraying animals you would find in pet stores. These works revealed his sense of humor through the actions of the “animals.” Banksy applied his signature of unconventional style and took it to a new level that many would not think of. Banksy confirms that “if it can be imagined, it is possible,” making this exhibit definitely one worth the visit.