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Arts • Culture • Music
Without Limits
Exhibition of British street artist Banksy coming to Underground Atlanta
By Collin Kelley
he Art of Banksy: With
out Limits” exhibition is
moving to Underground
Atlanta for its opening
this fall.
Originally set for the Westside
Cultural Arts Center, which recently
hosted the Sistine Chapel exhibit, the
presenters decided to make a venue
change due to “strong interest” in
tickets. The show will run Sept. 3 to Jan.
9.
According to Martin Biallas, CEO of
SEE Global Entertainment, more than
20,000 tickets have already been sold in
Atlanta and he expects 100,000 people
to see the exhibition before it leaves next
year.
The exhibit is set to include more
than 150 pieces, including certificated
original works, reproductions of
Banksy’s famed graffiti, photos,
sculptures, murals, installations, digital
installations and a video mapping show
created specifically for the run.
“We’re expecting 1,000 to 1,500
visitors each day to the exhibit, so
Underground Atlanta is the perfect
venue and atmosphere,” Biallas said.
Biallas said the exhibition would
stretch down Underground’s main
street, and with its old brick walls and
storefronts would be a perfect fit for
Banksy’s street art.
The exhibition of work by the
famed, anonymous British street artist
has generated controversy, some of it
by Banksy himself, who has disavowed
similar shows around the world. Biallas
said his steam had been working
with Pest Control, which is the only
authorized authenticator of Banksy’s
work, to make sure the exhibition
doesn’t fall afoul of the artist.
Biallas said Atlanta was chosen for
the U.S. premiere of “Without Limits”
after the success of the immersive Van
Gogh exhibition at Pratt Pullman Yard.
“I think Banksy’s work will resonate
with the people of Atlanta,” Biallas
commented. “Banksy has a unique power
to express strong political statements
with poetry, energy and humor with an
unnerving ability to get to the heart of
the subject matter. Any location that
features Banksy’s work becomes the place
to see.”
Curating an exhibition of Banksy has
been “challenging and unique” Biallas
said since much of the artist’s well-
known political and social commentary
pieces were spray-painted on buildings
and public sites — many now painted
over, removed, or defaced.
This isn’t to say Banksy hasn’t
participated in any exhibitions or created
art for public sale. He famously sold
signed canvasses of his work on the
streets of New York for just $60 in 2013
and his large-scale canvas “Devolved
Parliament” — depicting members of the
UK parliament as chimpanzees — sold
for a record £9.9 million in London in
2019. The artist made headlines around
the world in 2018 when a canvas of
his famous “Balloon Girl” was sold at
Sotheby’s in London for over £1 million.
Shortly after the auction, a shredder
he’d dhidden in the frame destroyed the
work.
Of course, one of the most
enduring and alluring things about the
work of Banksy is that no one has been
able to unmask him for more than 30
years. Rumors continue to swirl about
Banksy’s identity, with speculation that
he’s artist Robin Gunningham or Robert
Del Naja of the band Massive Attack,
among others. Biallas said he hopes
Banksy’s identity is never revealed. “I
think part of the power of his message is
that he’s anonymous,” he said.
Tickets start at $29.20 available
now through ArtOfBanksy.com. All
tickets purchased previously for the
Westside Cultural Arts Center remain
valid for the confirmed time. un
Dragon Con, Atlanta jazz
Festival return live Labor
Day weekend
The sci-fi and fantasy
festival Dragon Con returns
to Downtown, while music
will fill the air at Piedmont
Park at the Atlanta Jazz
Festival over Labor Day
weekend.
Dragon Con, set for
Sept. 2 to 6, will feature
panels, gaming, cosplay,
the annual parade and
the opportunity to meet
celebrities from beloved
movies and shows. This year, a “Battlestar Gallactica” reunion is in the offing featuring
Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Michael Trucco, and Mary
McDonnell, as well as “Smallville” stars Tom Welling, Michael Rosembaum, Laura
Vandervoot, and Erica Durance, and “Shazam!” star Zachary Levi. Find out more and
get tickets at dragoncon.org.
Over in Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Jazz Festival will be held Sept. 5 and 6 with
a lineup that includes Archie Shepp, Patti Austin, Brenda Nicole Moorer, Pasqual
Grasso, Yuko Mabuchi, and more. Admission is free. See the full lineup and get more
details at atlantafestivals.com. un
44 AUGUST 2021 | [E]
AtlantalntownPaper.com