B-B-B-Banksy! Viewing Art in the Streets at The Geffen Contemporary

When I chose to major in art history I decided to focus on Renaissance and Baroque Art. I was alone in that as everyone else focused on Modern and Contemporary Art. I wasn’t being a rebel, I’ve just never been a fan of the modern stuff. Where others see genius and meaning I see a bunch of paint splatters. Now, that’s not to say that I have anything against Modern or Contemporary Art. It’s just simply not my thing. So, when I went to New York I headed straight to the Met and skipped MoMA and the Guggenheim. Here in LA, I’ve been to LACMA and the Getty several times but had never visited MoCA until a few weeks ago. So, why did I finally end up at MoCA? One word, Banksy.

I do love my Banksy. He was originally a street artist known for his clever pranks in England and beyond. Placing a Guantanamo Bay prisoner in Disneyland? That was him. Adding his own work to the British Museum? Him again. Placing altered Paris Hilton cd’s on store shelves? Yup. Of course, nowadays the prankster has become an internationally renowned artist who’s works command millions of dollars. Heck, he was even nominated for an Oscar.

So when I found out that MoCA’s latest exhibition Art in the Streets featured some of his work, I knew I had to go. Then I found out that on Thursdays from 5-8 admission is free. And away I went.

Now the exhibit is housed at a satellite MoCA location, The Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo. A former warehouse, the entire space has been utilized for the show. Going in, I figured I’d breeze through most of the exhibit and head straight for the Banksy’s. But, when I got there, I found myself entranced by most of what I saw.

One of these four does not belong

The above photos are of one piece. It was essentially a city overrun by graffiti artists. I was able to walk through the entire exhibit for a close look at all the details. It was simply amazing (and overwhelming).

I continued on and (cue choir) suddenly there was Banksy! I was so excited I was almost shaking. The pieces were awesome, better than I had envisioned. Unfortunately, between my shaky camera work and the multitude of people I was only able to pull off one decent shot.

The bottom line says “to the nearest art dealer.” Oh, Banksy!

Okay, here’s another.

Courtesy of Banksy’s website

He’s just so…clever! (I seriously, cannot think of a better word.) Now, I could continue to describe the rest of his pieces, but I think you should just head down there;)

I did continue to check out the rest of the exhibit, which continued to be awesome.

Here’s some Shepard Fairey. (remember the Andre the Giant posters that were all over the place?).

And some other cool pieces who’s artists I don’t remember (I do apologize, whoever you are).

I have often thought this same thing

The exhibit even extended to the outside.

Invader

All in all, it was an incredible exhibit. I thought I’d be there for about 20 minutes, I ended up sticking around for over an hour. There was that much to see. Seriously, head over there and check out some amazing Contemporary art. Wow, I never thought those words would pass my lips!

The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA
152 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Admission free on Thursdays from 5-8

Art in the Streets runs until August 8th. Admission to the exhibition will be also be free on Mondays, courtesy of Banksy.