EXHIBIT: BANKSY, LAUGH NOW
John Kosta • March 26, 2020
Banksy, Laugh Now
The Moco Museum Amsterdam
Dates: Unspecified
The Moco Museum's exhibition includes Banksy's Beanfield which has not been exhibited for more than a decade.
Moco Museum offers a collection of some of Banksy’s most iconic works. Laugh Now, Barcode, Girl with Balloon, Kids on Guns, Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower), Kate Moss, Rude Copper, Crude Oil series, and many more. The centerpiece of the exhibition is Beanfield, which measures 2.5 x 3.5 metres. Although it has not been displayed since 2009, Beanfield remains an important work in the street artist’s oeuvre, as it emphasizes his activist nature.
The Laugh Now exhibition is not authorized by Banksy, however, each artwork is made by Banksy and validated by Pest Control with a certificate of authenticity. Pest Control is the only official body that can authenticate the anonymous street artist’s works.
Banksy is ultimately world-renowned for his outdoor art – street art. From large-scale murals to quiet, emotional pieces like Girl with Balloon. Banksy’s art can be found in streets all around the world. London has maps that mark the locations of such pieces and many of those places are monitored against vandalism. Banksy’s indoor pieces, which include original and unique works on canvas, wood, and paper have been much less exposed.
But now, you can and will find these rare artworks at Moco Museum in Amsterdam.
John Kosta: The first time that I saw Banksy's work I was mesmerized. His ingenuity of mixing simplicity and complexity to create strong social messages truly shows the power of art. Banksy is a unique voice and artist and the new exhibit at the The Moco in Amsterdam provides a wonderful opportunity to experience a breadth of the artist's work.
The show is currently suspended due to COVID but hopefully it will re-open in the near future. I will keep you posted when I have further details and if you know of others who may be intersted in the show, you can share this post via social media links below.