bathed in secrecy,  banksy’s homecomin’ show spread around the graf community all week, but getting into the private view on friday 12th june simply wasn’t going to happen for me. with over 600 guests expected, it proved impossible to blag an invite from his people. pity, as the after party sounded great! but really, it was all about the show and everyone’s expectancy was sky high.

i went with sally on the following wednesday at about 4pm and, with only an hour till closing time and despite the rain, there was a static queue of people waiting outside, so we thought ‘bugger that’ and went on our way. so the next day i arrived outside, keen as you like, at 9.20am and found myself first in the queue! by 10am there must have been about 50+ people waiting, but half an hour later it was roadblocked, with queues both inside and out.

i made a lucky decision early on to wander past the information ice-cream van and statues, up the lefthand side of the museum to the exhibition space called ‘art of banksy’. it’s a smallish room full of his stuff, from a mock studio space featuring stencils and artwork, to huge paintings marked with his signature humour. this room soon filled to capacity and the staff were letting people in on a strictly one out one in basis, so i’d recommend trying to get in here soon as, as the queue to get in soon wound down to the entrance and back up the other side. once in though, there’s a great collection of artwork and sculpture that should keep you busy chuckling for ages.

at the back of the museum is the unnatural history area, full of his animatronics that range from the slightly amusing to downright weird. i had to fight to view the exhibits, due to groups of schoolchildren pushing past, but everyone found themselves walking round with inane grins on their faces. it’s infectious.

up the stairs , away from the main exhibits, things become less clear. mixed amongst the porcelain and plates are some new exhibits, which defy categorisation. finding them becomes a bit of a hunt through genuine antiquities and adds to the fun. you find yourself looking at real antiquities in a questioning manner.

on the top floor, he’s hung a range of paintings, again dispersed between the usual exhibits, again displaying his sense of humour. traditional landscapes with a modern twist, incorporating easyjet, flying saucers, and computers. some of these are amusing as opposed to downright funny and the joke can wear a bit thin here and there, but tell me who else could put on such a comprehensive show in such a place? this is his greatest hits, covering his rats, glastonbury, the la show, the ny show and more. and judging by his most recent stuff on display, his painting talent seems to be developing well.

there are too many exhibits to tell you about them all and it would be spoiling things if i did. i even missed a few and will have to go back!

if its success is to be counted in numbers through the doors, then this is an outstanding success. even two weeks later there are queues outside and the museum can’t have seen so many people through its doors for a single show. if you wanna judge it by content, then perhaps you could be forgiven for thinking there’s a lot of repetition, but what else could you expect with so many exhibits? i still maintain he’s pulled off what few others could achieve and its popularity must be having the ‘banksy effect’ on businesses in bristol as a whole, as many people are visiting from outside the city. i’d been emailed by someone visiting from new york, who only came for the day to see the show!

perhaps my most intriging  experience was upstairs in the gallery, where i came across the painting above, which seems to be originally by damien hirst, but appears to have been ‘improved’ with a banksy rat. whether or not banksy bought the painting first, then painted over it, or whether there was different arrangement, the audacity really struck a nerve. i wonder if it’s worth more now than it was originally?

so, to sum up, you’ve gotta go see it. this could be a once only affair. if you’re worried about queueing, get there early [perhaps not as early as me] and head up the lefthand side first to get round the art of banksy room. it’s gonna take you an hour to get round. if you’re after merchandise, the shop isn’t selling any, according to the staff. never fear, you can always afford to buy banksy badges from graffitibadges.com!

happy viewing

further info:
banksy versus bristol museum
graffiti badges flickr set
graffitibadges.com