Urban art comes to town!

UNDERGROUND urban artist Banksy will be among the controversial contributors to an exhibition at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery.
Dismissed as ‘crime’ by some and ‘masterpieces’ by others, Warrington residents will now have the chance to make up there own mind, when the ‘(R)Evolution of Urban Art’ exhibition opens on 21 November.
The show will also feature work from Adam Neate, Antony Micallef, Candice Tripp and Jose Parla as well as artist Blek le Rat, one of Banksys’ early influences.
It will dig into the origins of one of the worlds most controversial art-forms, interviewing the contributors about their inspirations and dispelling the myth that they are simply ‘glorified graffiti artists’.
The exhibit, which runs until March 2010, is keen to point out that most ‘Urban Art’ has a strong political or social message, and is not simply spray paint and offensive slogans.
Banksy’s work has been displayed in (and sometimes on) the world’s most prominent art galleries and in some cases without them knowing anything about it.
His guerrilla tactics and the social commentary made by his pieces means there is never a shortage of controversy surrounding the underground maestro.
Many of the contributing artists have strong opinions about the injustice of the world, which is prominent in their work. Capitalism, advertising and other ‘social evils’ are tackled in the exhibit, which promises to be as fascinating as it is shocking.
One of the artists, Ron English, said: “Is corporate advertising more obtrusive than urban art? Is it more or less a valid form of graffiti?”
Admission to the museum is completely free. It is open Monday to Friday 10am to 4.30pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.