Category: 2004

2004, Exhibitions, UK

Santa’s Ghetto 04. London, December 2004

by R.A.

The 2004 Santa’s Ghetto was located in a run-down former porn shop on 121 Charing Cross Road, next to Foyles bookshop in Central London. The pop-up art exhibition opened daily from 10am to 8pm until Christmas Eve.

It contained intriguing new works from all of the artists on Pictures of Walls. Banksy participated with a few modified oils and the first version of Napalm. The counterfeit ten-pound notes featuring Lady Di, also referred to as the Di-Faced tenners, saw the light.

The last of the small black books, Cut It Out, was launched at the exhibition.

Photos: http://www.artofthestate.co.uk, Andipa catalogue

Of particular interest were the modified oil paintings, some of which reappeared the following year at the Crude Oils exhibition. Here, three examples in clockwise order: Silent Night, Congestion Charging, and Countryside CCTV.

Photos: Bonhams and Christies

List of participants – Santa’s Ghetto 04:

2004, Books

The third book – “Cut it Out”. December, 2004

by R.A.

Cut it Out was launched during Santa’s Ghetto 2004 and was the last of the three little black books. It has some interesting street art, loads of rats, and a few lovely canvases. Among them is “Suicide bombers just need a hug” from the Turf War exhibition.

“White House Rat” in Liverpool
The longest painting in Briitain
Suicide bombers just need a hug
2004, Pranks, UK

Prank at the Natural History Museum. London, April 2004

by R.A.

On 7 April, Banksy entered the Natural History Museum disguised as an employee. He carried a taxidermied rat in a glass-fronted box. The rat wears sunglasses and a complete graffiti kit. Apparently, the rat has sprayed “Our time will come” on the wall behind him. The installation comes with a printed explanation titled Pest Control.

2004, Street Art, UK

Street Art 2004. Focus on UK.

by R.A.

London was the main focus of street art activity in 2004. But, also two pieces in Brighton and two in Somerset. There were only two pieces outside the UK in 2004, one documented in Berlin and another in Chicago. One of Banksy’s most iconic pieces goes up in Southbank: The girl with the red balloon.

Photos: “Wall and piece”.

THE DRINKER STATUE. LONDON, FEBRUARY 2004

In February 2004, Banksy installed a statue in Princess Circus, a small square in central London. The statue is called The Drinker, a caricature of Augustin Rodin’s famous sculpture, The Thinker. A few weeks later, the statue was stolen by self-proclaimed “art terrorist” Andy Link.

The Drinker by Banksy. Photo: The Guardian

JUSTICE UNVEILED. LONDON, 4 AUGUST 2004

A few months later, on 4 August 2004, Banksy installed another massive sculpture in London; the figure of justice overlooking the Old Bailey in London – with US dollar bills stuffed into her garter and a plaque on the plinth saying: “Trust no-one”.

Photos: Art of the State – http://www.aots.co.uk

Flyer for the Justice unveiled event:

THE WHITE HOUSE RAT. LIVERPOOL, 18 SEPTEMBER 2004

‘Whitehouse Rat’ by Banksy is probably the largest of his artworks, all categories, painted in broad daylight in Liverpool’s Chinatown. The artwork, which in its original form depicted a giant rat holding a marker pen, spanned nearly 200 square meters of a building that had previously housed the Whitehouse Pub, which quickly led to the piece being referred to by the press as ‘The Whitehouse Rat’.

The artwork was timed to coincide with the September 2004 Liverpool Biennial, which Banksy invited himself to, by painting a host of works throughout the city during the prestigious art fair.

Photo: TimS on Flickr