Banksy exhibition set to cause a ruckus in Perth

You know what they say, you can take a Banksy off of the streets and put it into a gallery, but you can’t take the street cred out of a good Banksy. Actually, I made that up, but it kinda sounds right.

Banksy – the UK-based street artist whose identity is still quite the mystery – has been enjoying great response from his series of works recently on show in Sydney and Melbourne.

The show is currently touring Australia after its incredible success worldwide, with over 1,650,000 visitors so far, and it features four distinct segments. Next up on the exhibition tour: Perth.

The immense street art exhibition is of prime museum quality and features over 160 artworks, including new originals added just for Australian visitors.

An ‘Infinity Room’ allows guests to immerse themselves among Banksy art in a room full of mirrors. ‘Dismaland’ sees a simulation of Banksy’s largest art piece presented as a gritty amusement park. ‘Murals’ contains a series of just that, including seven new murals the artist created in war-torn Ukraine. And ‘Louis Michel’ is a room inspired by the 30-metre-long French Navy that Banksy decorated in response to the crisis in the Mediterranean.

Also a political activist and film director on the side, Banksy, whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation, has been active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combining dark humour with graffiti, executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.

Often sticking to monochromes, splashes of red and minimal bright colours are occasionally added to his work, some of his most famous art pieces being Girl With Balloon, Flame Thrower, and his notorious Rat squatting beneath the scrawled lines: If Graffiti Changed Anything, it would be Illegal.

First appearing on London streets, Banksy’s artworks now grace the walls, tunnels and bridges throughout the world. Catch a glimpse of quality street art gone gallery up close and for reals… while you can. Who knows when the dude gets busted and has to take it all down?

Antonino Tati

The Art of Banksy exhibition, subtitled ‘Without Limits’, is on at Northbridge Centre, 30 Beaufort Street, Perth from May 29, 2025. Tickets start at $41 for adults and $28 for children.