Banksy vs. Bristol Museum @ Bristol Museum

Been a little lax on my cultural outings lately so when I learned that Banksy had made over the Bristol Museum and then opened it in conjunction with them to the public, I hopped the first train down the Sunday morning and checked it out for the day (before zooming back to London).

I’m really just going to gush in otaku fan-boy mode here because the exhibit is absolutely brilliant. If you have the chance and the means, definitely hop on the train and go down to see it. It’s well worth your time.

For the exhibit itself, I get the feeling Banksy has been thinking about what he would do to his home town museum for years if not decades and it shows in not just the number of works he snuck in there, but their sheer breadth, detail, humour and cleverness.

For me, besides his take over of the main courtyard and the obvious exhibition of his “collected” works as well as an animatronic Victorian zoo of curiosities like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, a mother CCTV and her young and various other comments on Britain’s modern age, the absolute best thing about this exhibit was the hidden works all around the museum, tucked in corners and glassed cases that I think a lot of people just didn’t get to see.

Scattered throughout the museum were hijacked or replaced works that Banksy had replaced, altered, or improved in some way to amuse, challenge and pique the interest of the observant. They ranged form the downright obvious to the subtle and even into the innocuous.

It actually made the entire Museum a bit like a treasure hunt. I spent a lot of time going over nearly every corner (absolute favourite hidden gem was the small waterbank mammals scene which had a tiny little rodent with sunglasses, pack and spraycan hidden amongst all the other wildlife).

Oh, and you have to love the modesty. Replaced and improved works were simply placarded with the attribution “Local Artist.” Too cool.

Even more so though, I think Banksy did an amazing service to the Bristol Museum. It’s got this great air of one of those Victorian “curiosity” type museums that seeks to have a little of everything in the place. Dinosaurs are near side-by-side with taxidermy and pottery and fine paintings and geological samples. It’s truly eclectic and all encompassing attempt to showcase the world (it reminds me of the wonderful museum in Oxford actually). I’m sure most people in Bristol had probably never been, but the fact you have to hunt through for things means you probably see a great deal of the collection and are left to wonder, ponder and have your mind opened. Every small museum with interesting exhibits should be do lucky.

So, anyway Banksy, wherever you are, thanks for making my afternoon and weekend. You seriously rock !