A show by contemporary street artist
Banksy titled 'War, Capitalism & Freedom' opens in Rome May 24.
The exhibit features 150 paintings, sculptures, stencils,
record covers and rare objects - some of them never displayed in
public before - from private collections, and is on view at
Palazzo Cipolla through September 4.
Banksy - whose real identity remains a mystery - has made a
name for himself by bringing attention to the world's most
pressing issues, including the ongoing exodus of people fleeing
wars in Syria and elsewhere in Africa and the Middle East.
In December 2015 he visited the 'Jungle' Refugee Camp in
Calais, France, one of the largest such camps in western Europe,
leaving behind four new artworks including a mural featuring
Steve Jobs carrying an early Macintosh computer and a sack over
his shoulder and noting his background as the "son of a migrant
from Syria".
In another piece, he references Théodore Géricault's iconic
1819 painting 'The Raft of the Medusa' to depict an imperiled
group on a sinking raft hailing a modern cruise ship on the
horizon.
In January this year, a new mural appeared outside the
French embassy in London, criticising the alleged use of tear
gas against refugees at the Calais camp.
"In the history of Western art, no one else has managed to
bring issues of this breadth to the attention of such a vast and
heterogeneous public," said curator Stefano Antonelli.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
