Art Permanent exhibition with copies of Banksy works at the Saxon Casino
SDA
9.10.2024 - 10:40
"The World of Banksy" is the name of a permanent exhibition in Saxon in Lower Valais. On display are more than 140 copies of the mostly ephemeral works by British street artist Banksy.
"Most of the artist's works have disappeared, there are only photos left," Hazis Vardar, one of the organizers and curator, told the media. In "The World of Banksy", he reconstructs the works "very faithfully" by placing them in the context in which they were created. Banksy himself is not involved.
There are already similar immersive exhibitions of this kind in Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Krakow and New York. "The one in Saxon is the second largest after New York," continues Vardar. He was involved in developing this exhibition format worldwide.
From Thursday, the Banksy works will now be on display in the casino in Saxon near Martigny. Vardar wants to show "the crisis situations in which they were created". He wants to highlight the artist's works and his political commitment.
Hazis Vardar's brother, director Ali Vardar, took over the casino in Saxon last summer to turn it into a cultural center. Banksy in the casino defies all logic. But the brothers want to "shine a spotlight on the region".
The exhibition had not been formally approved by the artist, but had not been banned either. However, Vardar pointed out that Banksy himself had promoted copies of his work for "entertainment purposes, academic research or activism". "If the artist is okay with it and I am okay with it, I don't see a problem."
Banksy has been experiencing an international boom for years - although, or precisely because, his identity remains unknown. Rumor has it that he is Jamie Hewlett, the frontman of the music group Gorillaz or the graffiti artist Robin Gunningham or Robert Del Naja, one of the singers of the group Massive Attack. The latter denies being Banksy. All three are from Bristol.