First Look: BANKSYLAND Street Art Exhibit Coming to 'Secret Location' in Dallas

First Look: BANKSYLAND Street Art Exhibit Coming to ‘Secret Location’ in Dallas

Banksy is the world's most elusive and celebrated street artist, an anonymous provocateur whose subversive graffiti often makes headlines wherever it pops up. Later this month, some of his greatest hits will pop up in Dallas for two weekends of officially "unauthorized" immersive showings.

“These have been very challenging years here in the U.S., and we feel that Bansky's work, while often cynical, is also incredibly hopeful,” the curator says.

He may be the world’s most famous living artist, even though no one knows who he is for sure. Until now, the best way to see his work was to happen upon them on a Paris street, an abandoned Alabama gas station, or at a Sotheby’s auction— where his self-shredding painting “Love is in the Bin” sold for $25.4 million.

But now you can see some of Banksy’s greatest hits right here in North Texas, when BANKSYLAND opens in Dallas June 24 through July 4.

It’s the largest-ever touring exhibit of the artist’s work, and it’s officially “unauthorized.” But it features an extensive overview of Banksy’s 25-plus year career, with more than 100 pieces and installations, including ‘authenticated original studio works, salvaged street artworks, and never-before-seen immersive installations.”

From ‘Balloon Girl’ to ‘Kissing Coppers’

[Photo: BANKSYLAND]

Iconic works to be shown include “Balloon Girl,” “Rage, the Flower Thrower,” and “Kissing Coppers,” as well as paintings from the artist’s 2015 “Dismaland” and “Walled Off Hotel” installations.

Other Bansky works have been snagged by museums, collectors, and celebrities including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Drake, Bono, and Justin Bieber.

The experiential art collective One Thousand Ways organized the exhibit, which is making stops in over a dozen U.S. cities before heading to Asia and Europe.

Cynical, but ‘also incredibly hopeful’

[Photo: BANKSYLAND]

“These have been very challenging years here in the US, and we feel that Bansky’s work, while often cynical, is also incredibly hopeful,” the exhibit’s curator, Elle Miller, said in a statement.

“People want to come back into public spaces, to be inspired by art that reflects their values and hopes,” she added. “That’s what BANKSYLAND represents.”

Location is secret for now

The organizers haven’t revealed the exhibit’s location yet, citing the need for tight security due to the art works’ “beyond measure” value. But apparently it will be somewhere in the Dallas Design District east of downtown.

“Heists of Banksy’s work are the stuff of legend in the art world, and we are taking security very seriously,” Miller says.

BANKSYLAND will be open over two successive weekends: Friday through Sunday June 24-26; and Friday through Monday July 1-4. Tickets ranging from $22 to $59 are available here.