England-based Banksy popped up in Venice on Wednesday morning where he set up a booth as part of the city’s Biennale, an outdoor art exhibit that takes place every two years.
In the caption, Banksy wrote, “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.”
On social media, Banksy posted a video documenting the set up of his booth, located in the city’s St. Mark’s Square. The booth is populated with nine framed canvases, each of which are part of a scene that fit together like a puzzle to reveal a massive white cruise ship parked in the city’s famed canals. The ship not only dwarf the gondola’s around but also appears to be creating a wake disturbing the much smaller boats.
While all seemed to be going just fine, the video then shows Venetian police giving Banksy the boot for showing without a permit.
His appearance in the city was foreshadowed with the appearance of a new mural showing a child wearing a life jacket and holding a pink flare in the air. The piece was spotted on the Venice island of Dorsoduro by artist Lapo Semeon, who speculated it was painted on either May 16th or 17th.
The piece shows a young child wearing a life jacket and holding a pink flare up in the air, a migrant calling for rescuers. It was spotted on the island of Dorsoduro by the eagle-eyed artist and collector Lapo Simeoni, who shared his find on Instagram and with the Italian art publication Artribune, noting it was painted some time between Thursday and Friday last week.
