MANILA, Philippines — Controversial UK artist Banksy, whose real identity is still a mystery, has created limited-edition artworks with debris claimed to hail from war-torn Gaza, from which proceeds are pledged for a Philippine non-government organization.
Since “Banksy Universe,” a collection of the graffiti artist-activist’s works, was opened last May 7 in The M (Metropolitan Museum) in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, it has been raffling off a limited number of artworks for a “discounted” price of P68,000 per piece to prospective buyers.
Proceeds from the artpieces, said The M, would be donated to ChildHope Philippines Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization caring for street children like those in Tondo, Manila.
The lottery is done every two weeks until the exhibit ends in November, and those interested to join are asked to log in their names and contact numbers in a registration table inside the exhibition. If the winner changes his or her mind and is no longer willing to buy a piece, the slot would be raffled off again.
The artwork being raffled off shows a black-and-white sketch of kids enjoying a swing ride, juxtaposed against a war-torn environment. It is inspired by Banksy’s 2015 installation “Dismaland,” a “bemusement” park in Somerset, England and a dark version of Disneyland, with artworks that also included those by Damien Hirst and Jenny Holzer, among others.
In the same frame as the monochrome sketch is a chunk of debris claimed to hail from destroyed buildings in Gaza. Together, the sketch and the debris seem like a small three-dimensional or multimedia installation.
The opus is also reminiscent of the artist’s 2015 two-minute video, “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination,” a travel catalogue-like satire based on Banksy’s trip to the Gaza Strip. During his trip, the street artist painted a kitten on the remains of a house struck by an Israeli airstrike, also of a swing hanging off a watchtower.
A certificate of authenticity comes with the artwork being raffled off. According to Banksy’s official authentication arm, Pest Control Office, “all artworks that have been certified as real should be accompanied by a Pest Control Office Certificate of Authentication. Any galleries, online platforms or auction houses that you see selling artworks should have this paperwork to accompany the sale. If not, the work is likely to be a copy.”
In Pest Control Office’s frequently asked questions page, however, it is stated that “Banksy is not represented by any other gallery or institution. Pest Control is the only point of sale for new work by the artist,” and new work by the artist is “currently nothing available.”
Likewise, the artist cautioned that “Banksy is not involved or associated with any of them” when it regards to exhibitions about the artist being held in different parts of the world.
Both the “Dismaland” and the “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination” videos are on-view in the “Banksy Universe” exhibit in The M, together with some of the artist’s world-renowned works such as the exhibit’s poster image, “Balloon Girl,” which Sotheby dubbed as “the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction.”
In October 2018, after “Balloon Girl” was sold to an unnamed European female buyer for £1m (over P74 million), as the gavel hit the block, an alarm sounded within the artwork’s frame, then the painting passed through a shredder hidden within the frame, partially shredding the image. Banksy then posted the shredded image on Instagram with the caption, “Going, going, gone…”
The partially shredded work has since been retitled as “Love is in the Bin,” and was resold by Sotheby’s for over £18 million (over P1 billion), making what a newspaper called “quite possibly the biggest prank in art history” also among the biggest turnouts in the history of art auction.
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