From now until August 28, 2023, visitors to Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art will be able to view Banksy’s first solo exhibition in more than 14 years at Banksy: Cut and Run, 25 Years Card Labour. The show was kept a secret until a day before tickets went on sale on June 15.
An anonymous British street artist, Banksy keeps his identity obscure and goes only by his alias. He’s best known for his satirical, stenciled graffiti, which he “bombs” in cities across the world, from his hometown of Bristol, England, to Barcelona, Spain, to Park City, Utah. At Cut and Run, guests will be able to see a collection of more than 25 years’ worth of stencils that Banksy has used throughout his career. Details on the exhibit are scant, but Banksy fans can look forward to seeing his cardboard stencils repainted and transformed into original art pieces and even used as shadow puppets. Some of his disguises, which he uses to hide his identity, will also be on view. Banksy’s bus shelter piece, which originally appeared on Admiralty Road in Great Yarmouth, England, where an elderly couple appear to dance atop a bus stop, will be on display as well.
Banksy first began graffitiing and stenciling his artwork around Bristol when he was a teenager in the ’90s. His work is known for its anti-capitalist and anti-establishment motifs, and he was largely influenced by Bristol’s thriving arts and music scene, which birthed bands like Portishead and Massive Attack. He rocketed to fame in 2010 with the release of his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, which focuses on French immigrant Thierry Guetta and his obsession with the artist.
Banksy is notoriously selective about authorizing exhibitions of his work, which is why Cut and Run’s surprise exhibit is such a big deal. His last show, Banksy Vs. Bristol Museum took place in 2009 and featured 100 pieces of his work that had never been seen before intermingled with the art of the Old Masters and classical sculpture that would normally be on display at the Bristol Museum. Though most pieces were removed after the show ended, one work, Angel Bust, is still on display at the museum.
How to Plan Your Visit to “Banksy: Cut and Run”
Tickets to Banksy: Cut and Run, which will be on view until August 28, are available on the exhibition’s website. The entrance fee for adults starts at $17 and children can get in for $6. Day of tickets can be purchased at 9 a.m. each day at the GOMA. Photography is not permitted in Cut and Run, but complimentary souvenir Polaroids of viewers can be requested from staff members. The gallery will be open from Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning.
If you’re planning a trip to Glasgow around this exhibit, the Native Glasgow and the Dakota both offer accommodations close to the GOMA. The Native Glasgow offers 64 apartment-style hotel rooms within an Edwardian building and is just a block and a minute’s walk from the gallery. The Dakota, set within a contemporary brick building and known for its luxurious accommodations, is a 13-minute walk from the GOMA.
