Banksy: Who’s Laughing Now?
A
Selling Exhibition in Hong Kong Dedicated to Banksy the
Iconic
Street Artist
17 November – 7
December 2018
HONG
KONG – 6 NOVEMBER 2018 – Phillips’ upcoming exhibition, Banksy: Who’s Laughing Now?, is set to transform the Hong Kong
galleries in the St. George’s Building from 17 November to 7 December 2018. Presenting
27 works by the anonymous street art revolution known as Banksy, the selling
exhibition will include significant and previously unseen artworks. Ranging
from prints to unique works, the exhibition presents a variety of works at a
range of price points. The exhibition coincides with Phillips’ Evening Sale of
20th Century & Contemporary Art on 25 November in Hong Kong, which will
offer two portraits of Abraham Lincoln, executed after the series of New
Orleans murals that Banksy created in 2008 as commentaries on the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina.
Banksy’s work of the past two decades has drawn a
litany of both praise and controversy, and nowhere is his simultaneous appeal
and notoriety more present than in Laugh
Now, 2002. Comprised of his signature means of urban expression – namely
board spray-painted with his own stencil designs – the present work perfectly
encapsulates Banksy’s modus operandi
while conjuring the dark thematic elements that underlie such a comic piece.
Ten monkeys stand side-by-side, full frontal and unashamed to display their
sandwich-board messages, with six communicating, “Laugh now, but one day we’ll
be in charge.”
Banksy’s history as a street artist and his
efforts to conceal his identity make his artistic figures his only interactive
surrogates. Bearing this in mind, the monkeys upon the panel in Laugh Now not only assume an anarchistic
quality – promising full revenge upon their rise to power – but also make for a
fascinating study into the future of street art. And, as his exhibition spaces
shift from urban alleyways to galleries, Banksy paints a fascinating commentary
on the current state of contemporary art. Indeed, the art of Banksy was once
perceived as nothing more than vandalism with style, yet he is now recognised
as the world’s foremost street artist. In terms of his clairvoyance, perhaps no
work is more prescient than Laugh
Now.
Miety Heiden, Deputy
Chairman and Head of Private Sales: “The works
highlighted in this exhibition illustrate the artistic achievements of Banksy
over the last two decades. A visionary and trailblazer at the forefront of street
art since the 1990s, Banksy has dedicated his career to challenging society’s
perception of fine art versus street art. This unprecedented exhibition will
include the artist’s six-metre wide Laughing
Now, and Girl with Balloon, AP Gold,
among other iconic works. Banksy has
been propelled to the forefront of today’s art market and we look forward to
sharing these works with both new and longstanding admirers of his work.”
Banksy
first turned to graffiti as a miserable fourteen year old disillusioned with
school. Inspired by the thriving graffiti community in his home city, Bristol,
Banksy's works began appearing on trains and walls in 1993, and by 2001 his
blocky, spray-painted works had cropped up all over the United Kingdom,
becoming instantly recognisable. His aesthetic is clean and instantly readable
due to his knack for reducing complex political and social statements to simple
visual elements. His graffiti, paintings and screenprints use whimsy and humour
to satirically critique war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed, all of which are
explored in the works to be included in this important exhibition.
Banksy: Who’s
Laughing Now?
Exhibition: 17 November – 7 December
2018
Public Viewing: Monday – Friday 10:00 –
18:00
Location: 14/F St. George’s Building,
2 Ice House Street Central Hong Kong
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ABOUT PHILLIPS
Phillips
is a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century art
and design. With dedicated expertise in the areas of 20th Century and
Contemporary Art, Design, Photographs, Editions, Watches, and Jewelry, Phillips
offers professional services and advice on all aspects of collecting. Auctions
and exhibitions are held at salerooms in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong
Kong, while clients are further served through representative offices based
throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. Phillips also offers an online
auction platform accessible anywhere in the world. In addition to providing selling and buying
opportunities through auction, Phillips brokers private sales and offers
assistance with appraisals, valuations, and other financial services.
Visit
www.phillips.com for further
information.
PRESS CONTACTS:
HONG KONG - Rhonda Yung, PR Consultant RhondaYung@phillips.com +852 9800 2629
LONDON - Katie Carder, Head of Press, Europe kcarder@phillips.com +44 20
7901 7938
NEW YORK - Jaime Israni, Senior Public Relations Specialist
jisrani@phillips.com +1 212 940 1398
PHILLIPS HONG KONG
- 14/F St. George’s Building, 2 Ice House Street Central Hong Kong
PHILLIPS LONDON - 30 Berkeley Square, London
W1J 6EX
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