One of the world’s most notable art festivals, the Venice Biennale, is on again. The festival, which exhibits artists by invitation only, draws massive crowds from all over the world. Because of this, many uninvited artists take their work to Venice, and show in unaffiliated galleries. And one such artist taking advantage of the increased traffic and interest in art this year, is none other than infamous artist Banksy.
Banksy, who once again missed out on an invitation, decided to take matters into his own hands. Ever the statement maker, and in his classic style, he took to the streets. But this time with a twist.
In true Banksy fashion, Banksy set up a guerrilla Biennale display in the streets of Venice, and some locals didn’t seem super thrilled about it.
Setting up a nine-piece, multi-panel work alongside other street vendors, the piece was titled Venice in Oil. Depicting an enormous modern cruise ship sailing past some of the ancient city’s most iconic landmarks, including a couple harried gondoliers, the work pulled some pretty varied reactions from locals and passersby.
The artist showed off the work on Instagram, which he uses to confirm suspected Banksy pieces. The video features angry nonnas, entertained teens, unimpressed cops, and a fitting shot of life imitating art. You can check out the video below.
