Banksy in Genoa

Peeking through a doorway in Genoa—beauty and construction in the sunshine.

It was a gorgeous Spring Day in the Genoa Province where I live. My friend, Ann, suggested we hop on the train from Chiavari to Genoa to visit the Banksy Exhibit at the Genoa Principe train station and enjoy lunch afterwards. What a perfect idea.

Banksy, are you familiar with Banksy?

Banksy is the name of a famous street artist who is believed to be British, although no one knows his (or her?) identity. You will see his work all over the UK, some in New York and in Europe—even in the Ukraine, painted after the war began in 2022.

Above are photos of Banksy anti-war street art in the Ukraine.

Seeing his work spread out on the walls of the exhibit, and hanging above us, we could not help but be moved by his approach to social issues, by his talent to create pictures worth over a thousand words, his artistic creativity.

Banksy in Genoa is also very fitting. In Italy, you are surrounded by incredible pieces of art, of gorgeous pillars from the past and an appreciation for beauty, creativity and politics. Children study it in elementary school and onward while living amongst the ruins of one of the greatest western civilizations ever to walk the earth. Banksy speaks truth to power.

‍

See his Kids on Guns above with his red heart balloon of hope above them. 

The one above brought my mind right back to the day, while watching the news, I witnessed the girl above running down the street in Viet Nam after a Napalm strike. Banksy constantly transposes a real life experience with our tendency in the 20^th and 21^st centuries to allow consumerism to downplay tragedy and war. It is a shocking way to show us an opposing view of life through his eyes and his soul.

Here he features Steve Jobs with his computer and a bag of his future inventions. Black balloons flank his visage. Steve Jobs’ father was an immigrant from Syria to the USA. His statement shows us what we could miss in our future in the USA if we do not allow more immigration into our country and countries all across the world.

Above demonstrates the effort and losses risked by those fleeing their oppressive countries, often from Africa to the shores of Europe, especially Italy.  No definition needed for this piece.

Here we see the efforts of the younger generation to overcome the ugliness of the past by covering the swastika with beauty. 

THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. Above is one of my all-time favorites by Banksy. We must keep hope with us at all troubled times. We must.

‍

I could plaster this post with more photos and descriptions.  Instead, I wish to explain that for me, this is not a political statement but an artistic sharing. And it seems so appropriate right now with so many crises happening across the world—war, famine, violence against children, families, explosions, chemical spills, all the while advertising selling the good life we can all own ourselves. Art of any kind can open the mind and the soul to other things. We can begin to question our choices, seek answers to issues that plague us. And Italy is a place where that is so appropriate.

Genoa is the home of Christopher Columbus. It was and still is a port where shipping created wealth while poor Italians left their country behind for the greener pastures of the USA, South America and Australia around the beginning of the 20^th Century. They left behind all that they knew for the dream of prosperity on foreign soil. They brought their heritage with them, their lifestyle, their FOOD and WINE. We have all benefitted from their bravery and their need. I am thankful for them all. And people like Street Artists, modern artists, speak for us all in their own way. They show us beauty, freedom, individuality, and difficulties. They express our angst with flowers and strange signage. Italy honors Banksy with this exhibition alongside all the art in this Country of Italia. If you are traveling in Liguria before July, you may wish to add this exhibit to your time.

For a reservation, email below.

info@TheWorldofBanksy.it

And take the time to capture the flavors of Genoa while you are there!

Grazie Mille!

A dopo.

‍