Burning Man is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert of northwestern Nevada, about 100 miles north-northeast of Reno. It’s not your typical festival—think of it as a temporary city, Black Rock City, built by tens of thousands of participants who gather to celebrate art, community, self-expression, and self-reliance. The event culminates in the burning of a large wooden effigy, “The Man,” on the Saturday night before Labour Day.
In the 2001 edition of the festival, Banksy had an interesting collaboration with Ukrainian-American artist Maya Hayuk, known for her colourful and abstract graffiti. The collaboration was a comic strip that covered an entire wall right in the middle of the festival area. There are very few photos remaining.
In the first years of the decade, besides the UK and US, Banksy went to Barcelona, Berlin, Vienna, Bergen, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Paris, and Palestine, where he painted the first stencilled version of the iconic Love is in the Air behind a gas station in Bethlehem.
Banksy in Barcelona. BornBanksy in Barcelona. Plaza de la Veronica.Banksy in BarcelonaBarcelona ZooBarcelonaBanksy in Tokyo – 2003Banksy in Berlin – 2003Banksy in Paris – 2003Banksy in Paris – 2003Los Angeles – 2002San FranciscoSan FranciscoLove is in the Air. Bethlehem, 2003
In the summer of 2001, Banksy organised an exhibition at the Cargo Club on Rivington Street. Cargo Club had opened in November 2000 and was built into the railway arches in the same spot as the Rivington Street railway underpass, where Banksy had done his first show in London the year before.
The exhibition featured a lot of the many unsold pieces from the Peace is Tough exhibition in Glasgow earlier that year. It also had various outdoor pieces in the courtyard.
At the same time, Banksy released a book, Banging your head against a brick wall, the first of a series of three small black books in A6 format. It has some surprisingly well-written texts along with images of his most prominent street art and originals. 54 pages in B&W. Some curious highlights:
In March 2001, Banksy went to Glasgow to participate in an exhibition at The Arches, a club located under Glasgow Central Railway Station. The organiser and main attraction of the exhibition was anti-art world colleague Jamie Reid. According to several sources, Banksy’s pieces didn’t sell well, and they were taken back to London, where they appeared a few months later at the Cargo Club exhibition. Very little documentation remains.
Banksy joined the Easton Cowboys, a radical football team from Bristol. In early 2001, they went to Chiapas, Mexico, to play against a football team from EZLN, Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional. Banksy played as a goalkeeper. During the stay in Chiapas, the Banksy team completed a few stencils and at least two free-hands.
Banksy at work in ChiapasMural in ChiapasBanksy at work in ChiapasBanksy stencil in ChiapasBanksy stencil in Chiapas
The trip was partly financed by a raffle of a Banksy painting in October 2000:
Photo: Tangent Books
SWISS EMBASSY. 26 JANUARY 2001
The Swiss ambassador to the UK invited a group of street artists to decorate the underground parking of the embassy. It was part of a cultural programme. The press release from the Swiss Embassy read as follows:
“The course of the new century will be shaped and determined largely by those who are 15 – 30 years old today. We, the members of staff at the Swiss Embassy in London, are dedicating our programme for 2001 to this particular section of our society. We want to find out from the “next generation” what it thinks of the future, how it plans and influences future events, what values and ideas it has. We want to learn and understand, we want to debate and experience.Together with young people and young adults we intend to organise five principal events:
On 26 January 2001: Graffiti Party in the Garage at the Embassy
On 29 May 2001: Swiss Ambassador’s Award 2001 (Mirjam Tschopp, violin, and Karl-Andreas Kolly, piano)
In summer 2001: Trendsetting Sports and Food Event in the streets of London
Also in summer 2001: Fashion Event
As the grand finale in November 2001: major Swiss Event for young artists at Tate Modern.
We want to begin the year 2001 with a New Year Graffiti Party for 15-30 year-olds in the Garage at the Embassy. We have invited other graffiti artists too, who will transform the Embassy’s Garage into a cultural space one month before the Party.”
Two of Banksy’s many pieces:
Photos: Banksyforum, Flickr
The Guardian told the story behind the ambassador’s initiative:
Banksy unofficial 