A video posted to Banksy’s Instagram account shows the secretive British artist trying to crash the 2019 Venice Biennale. He set up a stall to sell his work and according to Artsy,
“Due to the guerilla nature of his work, an Instagram post or acknowledgement on his website is considered a marker of an authentic Banksy project.”
The stall is in the famous Piazza San Marco, displaying a nine-panel painting on it accompanied with a sign reading
“Venice in Oil.”
The painting shows a massive cruise ship towering over the city and overturning gondolas. The caption reads,
“Setting out my stall at the Venice Biennale. Despite being the largest and most prestigious art event in the world, for some reason I’ve never been invited.”
Venice is plagued with over-tourism, but it a particularly tricky subject considering it’s THE major source of the city’s economy. The video ends with him being told to leave the premises for lack of a permit, and as he wheels his cart away we see a cruise ship not unlike the one he painted looming in the canal behind him.
The selling stall is similar to another of Banksy’s stunts pulled during his 2013 takeover of NYC. One of his hired collaborators set up a stand right outside Central Park, on 59th St, offering authentic prints for $60 each. Just three people bought the prints and one of the lucky buyers sold hers at auction at Bonhams. They made $158,000.
(Photo via Banksy.co.uk; via Artsy)
