Last week I was able to make it over to Chelsea to check out the Vanina Holasek Gallery’s Banksy Does New York exhibit.  I was shocked to see how long the line was to get in considering it was late in the afternoon on a Sunday, more than two weeks after the opening.  The gallery, a small converted townhouse, put out a press releasing mentioning that Banksy may be the new Warhol.  With his brilliant subjects and spin on culture, a cult following, and limited prints going for $30,000 and up I couldn’t agree more with that statement.  They of course have their differences, the most signficant being that Warhol was an artist in the spotlight who worked on canvas while Banksy has never shown his face, only goes by his tag, and the streets and society are his drawing board. 

For any avid Banksy fan the art was nothing new, mostly prints we’ve seen before but only on a computer screen or book.  The most rewarding part was being able to see these pieces on a larger scale, inches away from your eyes.  After an hour of gazing, I finished up and saw all there was to see.  For an artist who only speaks to the public through his work and tries to maintain as low a profile as possible, I found it a bit strange that Banksy would have his “first New York exhibition” in such a small and random location.  When I got home I looked into this further and came across this entry from Complex’s blog where they rip the gallery a new asshole for the exhibit not being sanctioned or affiliated whatsoever with Banksy. 

I can’t agree completely with whoever wrote this, especially because regardless of their issue’s with the gallery’s “offensive presentation,” it did in fact give us all the opportunity to appreciate Banksy’s art, for free nonetheless.  Sure, it is street art that was free to the world when first created, but unless you live in London and know where to find it, viewing the work in person can be a difficult mission.  Additionally, galleries have been using the names of artists for years to draw business and customers, so using an artist’s name without permission isn’t quite the offense they make it out to be. 

My only serious drawback with it all was the merchandising setup Vanina Holasek had going on.  If the gallery in fact had no affiliation with Banksy or his camp, how can they possibly justify selling cheap looking shirts with his art for $50 out of a garbage can in the middle of the gallery or the $20 single postcards, $25 holiday card, or even $15 for a poster with the gallery’s name and Banky’s Monkey Queen print underneath?  Why are they charging such a premium for something that isn’t authentic?  They clearly are targeting those who only dream of owning a $40,000 piece one day but will settle for something they can afford at the moment.  $20 for a postcard is crazy but if you are falsely led to believe this is something limited and authentic, it could be a reasonable purchase.    

Merchandising issues aside, the main point of all this is that this is still an excellent exhibit with what is some of the most revolutionary art being created today by Banksy.  You owe it to yourself to take the trip over here and give it a visit before its over, after all, it is free if you don’t visit the gift shop.

The Banksy Does New York exhibit ends this Saturday, 12.29.07 at Vanina Holasek Gallery.  Complete exhibit info here