Banksy Sets Up an Unauthorized Art Stall in Venice

The anonymous artist set up a stall to showcase paintings of a cruise ship parked in the canal surrounding the city.

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British graffiti artist Banksy has made a surprise appearance in the Venice Biennale. The mysterious artist posted a video on Instagram this morning showing himself (all but his face, of course) installing a stall near St. Mark’s Square, where he disguised himself as a street vendor selling quaint oil paintings.

At his stall, labeled with a small sign reading “Venice in Oil,” Banksy displayed paintings in gold frames that show fragments of a cruise ship. The work appears to be referencing the pollution that colossal cruise ships cause to the city as they cross the Grand Canal.

The short clip shows a series of passersby (and one stray cat) admiring — or scoffing at — the display. Later on, Venetian policemen evacuate Banksy from the square for having no permit. “You have to have authorization or you have to go away. You can’t stay here,” he’s told by an officer, as the scene cuts to a shot of a cruise ship steaming away in front of a row of gondolas.

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