“The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits'” will be open at Fair Market in Austin from May 29 to Sept. 7, running for exactly 102 days.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Anonymous British street artist Banksy is making his Austin debut with “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits’,” an exhibition featuring 200 certified original art pieces, photographs, lithographs, sculptures, murals and multimedia installations. The show, located at Fair Market (1100 E. 5th St.), opened May 29 and will run through Sept. 7.
The gallery explores the history and influences of the famed street artist, whose identity remains publicly unknown. His satirical, subversive art includes themes of corrupted childhood innocence, politics, greed, war and consumerism — often through the lens of British and American culture.
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Here are five standout moments from “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits.’”
1) ‘Peckham Rock’ (2005)
Banksy originally snuck “Peckham Rock” into the British Museum in 2005. It stayed on display for days until staff realized it was out of place.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Banksy’s “Peckham Rock,” also known as “Wall Art,” is a lump of concrete with a cave-style painting of a man pushing a shopping cart. In 2005, the hoax relic was smuggled into the British Museum and according to the BBC stayed on display in the Roman Britain collection for days before staff realized it didn’t belong. A placard dating the rock to the “post catatonic era” was also found in the museum, crediting the art to “Bansymus Maximus.”
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“This finely preserved example of primitive art dates from the Post-Catatonic era and is thought to depict early man venturing towards the out-of-town hunting grounds,” an inscription on the back of the recreated “Peckham Rock” reads. “The artist responsible is known to have created a substantial body of work across South East of England under the moniker Banksymus Maximus but little else is known about him.”
According to “Genuine Fakes: How Phony Things Teach Us About Real Stuff” by Lydia Pyne, Banksy snuck “Peckham Rock” into the British Museum in a plastic bag, wearing a long overcoat and fake beard. Two months earlier, Banksy had also installed a “harlequin beetle with airfix weapons” inside the American Museum of Natural History’s Hall of Biodiversity in New York City, entitled “Withus Oragainstus.”
After “Peckham Rock” was removed in 2005, the piece was loaned back to the British Museum as part of the “I Object!” exhibit in 2018.
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“Most art of this type has unfortunately not survived. The majority is destroyed by zealous municipal officials who fail to recognize the artistic merit and historical value of daubing on walls,” the inscription said.
2) Monkeys and rats motif
Monkeys are a big part of Banksy’s art and many are scattered throughout “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits'” on display in Austin.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Banksy is known for using monkeys and rats as motifs in his artworks.
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The placard next to a signboard recreation of his famous “Laugh Now” (2002) piece said Banksy employs monkeys as a stand-in for humans as social commentary. “Laugh Now” features a downcast chimpanzee wearing a sandwich board that reads, “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge.” According to MyArtBroker, the message is one of defiance in the face of oppressive politics.
“You paint 100 chimpanzees and they still call you a guerrilla artist,” Banksy famously said. A recreation of his huge 2009 painting “Devolved Parliament,” featuring the House of Commons run by chimpanzees, is also on display.
Banksy uses rats to symbolize the pressures that come with society’s “rat race.” This installation is on display at “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits'” in Austin.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Banksy uses rats to represent the vices, flaws and suffering of the human race. His 2004 painting “Get Out While You Can” features a rat holding up a sign with the title phrase. It is a commentary on the psychological and social pressures that come with the “rat race” of modern urban life. “If you are dirty, insignificant and unloved, then rats are the ultimate role model,” Banksy wrote in his 2005 book “Wall and Piece.”
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According to Banksy Explained, the artist connects his rat symbolism with himself. As a graffiti artist, he is often hunted by the authorities like the rats are targeted by pest control. Like rats, these artists also maneuver under the cover of darkness and are seen as nuisances or pests by much of society. By giving rats a voice, he is speaking for people marginalized by society.
“They exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet desperation amongst the filth. And yet they are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees,” Banksy said.
3) ‘Paris Hilton Debut CD’ (2006)
Banksy made a fake version of Paris Hilton’s debut album “Paris” and distributed it in 48 record stores across the United Kingdom. Hilton said the stunt was “really cool.”
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
“The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits’” explores the artist’s creative intersection with music culture, using CDs and vinyl records as a canvas. “Paris Hilton Debut CD” served as commentary on the heiress and reality TV star’s attempt at a music career with her first album “Paris” in 2006.
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In fall 2006, Banksy placed 500 fake “Paris” CDs in 48 different record stores around the United Kingdom. He replaced the inside leaflet with his own cover art and enclosed a disc with remixes by Danger Mouse and tracks titled “Why Am I Famous?”, “What Have I Done?” and “What Am I Here For?”
According to the exhibit placard, a rumor circulated that someone at Hilton’s music label was so horrified at how bad the album was that they leaked it to Danger Mouse, who then brought it to Banksy for the “prank.” In a 2020 interview with Bustle, Hilton said the stunt was “really cool.”
“I’ve actually been trying to buy one. (They) keep on going up for auction and I’m trying to wait for another one (to become available) because they’re very limited edition. But I thought it was awesome that he did that,” Hilton told Bustle.
4) ‘Banksy in Ukraine’ (2022)
“Banksy in Ukraine” features seven murals that the artist painted on war-torn buildings across towns and cities targeted by the Russian invasion. The installation is on display at “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits'” in Austin.
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The Fair Market gallery includs a sprawling art installation featuring the seven murals Banksy created across towns and cities in Ukraine that were affected by the Russian invasion, including Kyiv, Borodyanka and Hostomel. The murals were painted directly onto bombed buildings.
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The murals include a child using a tank trap as a seesaw, a gymnast performing a handstand on rubble and a boy overpowering a large man — a figure widely interpreted as a satiric representation of Vladimir Putin — in a judo maneuver. Other murals depict a woman with curlers in her hair wearing a gas mask and holding a fire extinguisher and a gorilla-like figure hiding in plain sight.
According to the placard accompanying the murals, Banksy transforms the war-torn ruins into symbols of endurance and hope, confronting the horrors of war while affirming the strength of those who live through it. The works serve as international statements of solidarity, ensuring that the human spirit rising up from the destruction cannot be ignored.
5) Custom spray paint Banksy shirts
Interactive exhibits and videos are on display at “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits'” in Austin.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Upgraded tickets to “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits’” add an opportunity to spray paint a stencil of one of Banksy’s designs onto a t-shirt. There is an enclosed spray paint area adjacent to the exhibit where visitors can pick a shirt color, stencil and paint to make a customized memento. Premium tickets also contribute $2 toward humanitarian efforts supporting refugees.
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The exhibition also features other interactive elements like an Infinity Room covered in mirrors, a cubby with a mannequin recreation of the anonymous artist, a “Dismaland Bemusement Park” and screening areas showing Banksy video projects.
How to see ‘The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits”‘
“Dismaland Bemusement Park” is featured at “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits'” in Austin.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
“The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits’” opens May 29 and runs through Sept. 7 at Fair Market (1100 E 5th St.) The gallery is open to all ages and visitors can purchase tickets for select dates and times. Tickets are $32 for adults, $23 for youth ages 6 to 17 and $27 for students, military and seniors 65 and older. There’s also a four-person group bundle that brings tickets to $26 each.
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For more information, visit artofbanksyus.com.