While I was in Amsterdam I attended the Laugh Now exhibition at the Moco Museum. The Laugh Now exhibition was about Banksy a legendary anonymous street artist from the UK, the exhibition showcased a lot of his work from the Kissing Policemen, Girl with the ballon and Beanfield painting, which has not been on display since 2009. Having studied Banksey in Art when I was in school I knew a little about him and his work, I knew his artwork were fun and colourful and that they had a strong message about society and the world in them. Banksey is one of the most controversial street artists in the world. Banksy’s art can impact any location at any moment, his identity still remains unknown even though he has been around for over 20 years. The most common form of street art Banksy uses are stencils, these are often in the form of multi-layered spray paint, he also includes anything found on the street such as street signs to help convey his message. His artwork is often satirical and combines dark humour with graffiti and also spread messages across art, philosophy and politics. I have attached some images from the exhibition below.
Another exhibition at the Moco Museum was one about Icy and Sot, who before this I had never heard of. Icy and Sot are called the ‘Banksy of Iran’, in their own country their work is not only considered controversial, but it is also banned. The two brothers started doing stencils in 2006, they have been contributed to Iranian and international urban art culture, through their murals, interventions, videos and installations that depict human rights, capitalism, social and political issues. Icy and Sot now live in New York where they have found fame. I really like Icy & Sot’s work it is really thought-provoking and really evokes feelings that are not always nice feelings but sadly what they illustrate is some women’s and people’s lives in the world. I have also attached some photos from the exhibition below.
By seeing these two exhibitions I have been inspired to use my Final Major Project as a chance to make a difference and to use my voice as a student to try and change something in the fashion industry. The fashion industry is known for being exclusive, you have to look a certain way, or have a certain amount of money etc which I completely disagree with. Banksy and Icy & Sot have illustrated how you can make a point and difference by art most of which don’t even use words. My next step is to look into the parts of fashion and the fashion industry that I feel are outdated and need to be changed. As I love the fashion industry and want other people to feel the same way too.