Irony hung in the air, lingering between metal poles and brick walls. Low lighting highlighted a street artist’s criticisms of overreaching governments and consumerism. Black and white rats, children hugging weapons and monkeys sprawled the walls.
The works of Banksy, an anonymous British graffiti artist, filled the interior of Espacio Trafalgar on Carrer de Trafalgar. An €8 ticket grants your entrance and places you on the streets of England, France, America and the West Bank, immersed in the well-guarded artist’s infamous works.
Upon entry, a black and white stenciled girl reaches and fails to grasp a red, heart-shaped balloon. The original “Girl with Balloon,” which is shredded, sold for $25.4 million. Espacio Trafalgar’s welcoming rendition is a reproduction, as are all the artworks in the exhibit.
Kaur Lal, a 24-year-old primary education teacher, sits behind plexiglass and requests your QR code ticket. She works at Espacio Trafalgar on the side and loves the Banksy exhibit it shares with the world.
“It’s like traveling in some way,” Lal said of the exhibit. “It’s organized by countries, so it’s like you’re traveling in these countries and you see what kind of things he wants to criticize in this area of the world.”
The reproduced exhibit gave birth to Espacio Trafalgar in February 2019 and will stay until December. Although the works are not originals, they transport you to the time period of the graffiti and allow you to absorb the criticisms Banksy brings to life.
Background of Banksy
For the past 30 years, Banksy has impacted cities worldwide, spurring a revolution in the art world. Today, his works are reproduced and shared, like this Barcelona exhibit, which continues to spread his criticisms.
Banksy chose a stenciling method to create his works because stencils offered a quicker way to craft his message without getting caught by the police.
Multi-layered stencils, other media sources and preexisting objects like fire hydrants compose Banksy’s murals. Satire and messages about art and politics radiate from the graffiti walls.
He began his artistic journey in England, relocating from Bristol to London in the early 2000s. Soon after, he traveled to Palestine and crafted nine images on the West Bank Wall. These works found virality on the Internet and are recognizable by many today.
Although his style is easily identifiable, not much is known about the artist’s identity, which further fuels his audience’s interest. The mystery man who shocks and enthralls viewers also provides an entry point for people to accept art as a part of their everyday lives.
Banksy in Barcelona
The art in Espacio Trafalgar is recreated by local and international artists using the same stencil technique the anonymous street artist employed, Noemi Lanzani told me as she worked behind the front desk. She noted the size and colors are the same too, calling the pieces an exact copy.
“The original one, in many cases, doesn’t exist,” Lanzani said. “With the years, they disappeared. They are in the street and with the rain, and sometimes it’s about the politicians or things that are a little bit delicate, so the government decides to remove it.”
Espacio Trafalgar provides a one-shot, immersive experience into the world of Banksy. You walk among works from the early 2000s that once called the streets of London home, and then a few steps and a staircase later you see rats that hover above the Seine River in France.
The Banksy exhibit came to Barcelona in February 2019, a month before the pandemic, Lanzani said. It closed for three months, reopening only for locals. When Barcelona opened its doors to tourists, Espacio Trafalgar's Banksy business boomed.
“You don’t need an explanation to understand the work of Banksy,” Lanzani said. “He knows how to send a message graphically. You don’t have to study art to understand Banksy.”
Banksy’s work was and still is understood in cities worldwide. Now, you can experience his messages while in Barcelona.
English streets
The iconic, red telephone box welcomes you into the exhibit after you receive your paper ticket. Its presence indicates a London location and guides you to the right. There, you are confronted with two stenciled, black and white British police officers, hugging and kissing. Their embrace is an odd contradiction to the evident handcuffs and baton in their possession.
You continue through the exhibit, walking up the stairs that invite you to a corridor of frames and murals.
A small child hunched over a sewing machine and draped in Union Jacks sits next to two other children tossing a sign that reads “NO BALL GAMES.” Nonconformism, anti-establishment, pacifism and anti-capitalism seep through the walls. Banksy's use of children emphasizes his critique of a controlling government — a government that even interferes with everyday children’s enjoyment.
These themes continue as you travel from Bristol to London.
A police officer gives you side-eye and a middle finger. “The Grin Reaper” bears a bright yellow smiley face in place of the hooded visage of death.
His governmental criticisms and satire fail to halt at the United Kingdom’s borders.
French streets
Little rat pawprints guide you to a metal staircase that leads to the land of France.
Again, a mixture of framed art and street art fills the room.
The first thing I notice is the framed “Paranoid Pictures” piece: a spitting image of the Paramount Pictures logo. The informational poster next to it has a Banksy quote that reads “Your mind works best when you’re paranoid. You explore every avenue and possibility of your situation at high speed with total clarity.”
Next to this is “Morons,” which elicited a chuckle from me. A canvas painted within the canvas bleeds irony with the words “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit.”
Humor and mockery also clash with grief. “Bataclan” stands in the corner, remembering the victims of the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.
Espacio Trafalgar’s exhibit cannot showcase all of Banksy, but its dim lighting highlights all that Banksy is. It serves as a perfect introduction or a deeper appreciation of the street artist’s societal critiques.
American streets
The “New York Post” headline read “Catch Banksy! The NYPD stalking artist” in October 2013, according to the informational sign in the American section of the exhibit. He had been active in Los Angeles in 2002, New Orleans in 2008, San Francisco in 2010 and then New York. A swath of criticisms jumps out of his American work.
Anticapitalism sentiments radiate from the shopping bags hanging from a crucified Jesus’ arms and a robot spray-painting a barcode.
Chimps wear an apron-like sign that reads “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge,” mocking Darwin’s theory of evolution while indicating an inevitable revolution.
These works were intended to confront Americans, but the message feels universal, so its presence in Barcelona only amplifies Banksy’s voice.
Next, you escape the anti-capitalistic cries on the streets of America to be met with some of Banksy’s most notable pieces plastered on the West Bank Wall, well the reproduced one at least.
West Bank Wall
Make hummus not war.
I laughed after reading this, wondered if Spain had tasty hummus and then realized the gravity of the situation in which this was painted. Dark humor is why viewers like myself come to love Banksy.
His stencils draw attention to the current political climate. He dares you to look. Your eyes track to the red target on the white dove’s heart. A symbol of peace turned into a symbol of war. Contradiction abounds.
This exhibit dares you to digest numerous works. My eyes didn’t know where to look on the breadth of the walls, but I liked it. Banksy gives you a lot to think about, and Espacio Trafalgar gives you the opportunity to ponder in peace.
Banksy is a communicator. No matter your experience, when you look at a Banksy, you will understand. You have to visit the Espacio Trafalgar exhibit to see and feel it for yourself.
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