The exhibition “Street Art – Banksy & Co” at Palazzo Pepoli in Bologna (Italy), will close in a few days. This group exhibition, in a retrospective form, chose to demonstrate the influence of street art’s two greatest mediums: the aerosol can and the internet. Bringing together the biggest names (including the Americans Blade and Daze, also presented in the Graffiti Art collection on ArtJaws), the exhibition nevertheless caused great controversy even before its opening.
Criticized for its elitist approach – the curating was made by the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna -, voices were also raised against the removal of works from their public location without permission from the artists. Italian street artist Blu has voluntarily destroyed years of work in the streets of Bologna, to protest against their “preservation”. Evidence that street art and its graffiti sidekick keep on resisting to their contemporary institutionalization.
