The Art of Banksy exhibition has landed in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The Art of Banksy exhibition has landed in Christchurch after touring around the world, showcasing more than 150 original pieces of the artist's work.
It is the first time original Banksy works will be displayed in the South Island, in what organisers promise is the closest people will get to meeting the anonymous artist.
The exhibition at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre runs from 17 December to 27 January 2026.
Flower Thrower. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Banksy's street art and graffiti are some of the most recognisable and iconic images of the modern art world.
Although his work started in the 90s in Bristol, Banksy's identity remains a mystery.
Exhibition curator and producer Michel Boersma said people would be able to stand face-to-face with well-known pieces such as Girl with Balloon and Flower Thrower.
"The Art of Banksy is the largest touring exhibition with authenticated Banksy art so there's no replicas, this is an overview of his career. We worked together with 43 collectors and we're able to basically do a best of with Banksy's art, sketches, gifts he has given lovers," he said.
"Most of those who rent pieces to the exhibition are long term Banksy buyers. When Banksy wasn't Banksy, there was a small group of people who were buying direct from him. They are lovers of the work who rent it to us because they want people to see the artwork, instead of having it hang on the wall."
The Art of Banksy exhibition curator and producer Michel Boersma. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Boersma said people were captured by the humour in Banksy's art, or as he put it, "serious subjects done with a wink".
"It's not making it feel stupid when you look at it, it's not art when you need 10 minutes to have a look... but it does trigger debate, it entertains but it also makes you think," he said.
The Art of Banksy exhibition has been touring for 10 years and has been in 22 cities around the world, Boersma said.
"It's a sort of gateway drug into the arts. A lot of people who come to our exhibition normally don't go to a museum but they will go to Banksy because they've seen it on news, they've seen it on the television and now they get to interact with it for real," he said.
"You're guided through the exhibition where visual moments have been created, in a theatrical way so that you see the unexpected. We have interviews from his ex-girlfriends, and we have the personal messages at the back of the frames. We have the hand drawn sketches."
Girl with Balloon. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Christchurch was the last stop of The Art of Banksy tour in New Zealand.
Dr Reuben Woods, the creative director of Watch This Space, a charitable trust that organises and maintains public art projects in Christchurch, said it was exciting to have the Banksy exhibition in the city.
"Christchurch has a fantastic reputation for urban art so it seems like a really great fit to have The Art of Banksy here to connect the exhibition and what's going on in our streets as well," he said.
"At its heart I think it's art for people and I think that's why it connects because it is made with that idea of connecting us with ideas and expressions."
Christchurch is the last stop of The Art of Banksy tour in New Zealand. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
ChristchurchNZ partnered with Te Pae Christchurch to bring The Art of Banksy exhibition to Ōtautahi.
The exhibition is not curated or authorised by the artist and only displayed authenticated art sold or gifted by the artist, not replicas or art removed from the street.
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