Photos: Milan train station hosts 'World of Banksy'

An exhibition of 130 works opens in a gallery space inside Milan's Central train Station

Published: December 03, 2021 12:16 AFP and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor

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Milan: Milan's central train station plays host from Friday to a "World of Banksy", featuring reproductions of provocative works by the British street artist in something akin to their original real-world settings. Image Credit: AP

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The elusive artist's murals these days exchange hands for millions, notably the famous "Girl with Balloon" which was sensationally shredded and sold under a new name, "Love is in the Bin", for a record #18.8 million ($25.4 million) in October. Image Credit: AP

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The Umbrella girl. But the aim of the show in the northern Italian city is to make works by Banksy - whose identity is said to be known only to a handful of friends - again accessible to a wide audience. Image Credit: AP

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A reproduction of 'Bataclan'. "Most of his works have been destroyed, covered up, stolen, sold, so they are no longer directly visible to the public," the curator of the exhibition, Manu De Ros, told AFP. Image Credit: AP

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A reproduction of 'I'm Out Of Bed Rat'. More than 130 murals and silkscreens are on show in the train station until February 27, set on backgrounds created by young graffiti artists and students that hark back to their original surroundings. Image Credit: AFP

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"We have reproduced the walls on which Banksy painted, the bricks, concrete, the dirt of the roads, the pollution," De Ros said. Image Credit: AFP

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The exhibition is ticket-only and in a closed off area, but some noise from the train station filters through, giving visitors a sense of the streets on which the works first appeared. Image Credit: AFP

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There are reproductions of classic works like "Flower Thrower", showing a masked protester hurling a bunch of flowers that first appeared on a wall in Jerusalem, as well as more recent pieces. Image Credit: AP

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A reproduction of 'Pillow Fight.' There is "Aachoo", a sneezing lady who appeared at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, or another on the wall of a former British jail that once held playwright Oscar Wilde, depicting a prisoner escaping with a typewriter. Image Credit: AFP

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De Ros said he hoped it would cause some of the thousands of people who pass through the station each day to stop and think. And what does the artist think? Image Credit: AFP

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"Banksy never directly authorises exhibitions that he doesn't organise himself, that's a rule, but neither does he prohibit them. He doesn't stop us," the curator said. Image Credit: AFP

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'The Son of a Migrant from Syria' mural showing Steve Jobs. "This allows us to believe, perhaps a little presumptuously, that the work we do is appreciated. This also allows Banksy to spread his message even more widely." Image Credit: AFP

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