Banksy Organizes 'Cans Festival' in London

by Jarrett Martineau | May 2, 2008 at 02:25 pm | 2594 views | 6 comments

Bansky is the artist who just keeps on giving. You've got to love this guy.

And I love that The Cans Festival is set up to be, essentially, an anti-Cannes, stencil-only, street art festival that is collaborative, free, and open to anyone to participate.

The festival takes place in London this Bank Holiday weekend from May 3-5, 2008.

If you're in London, please post your photos of the festival to this story — or let us know about the art you've contributed to it.

LONDON - The graffiti impresario Banksy and a host of airbrush-wielding guerrilla artists blanketed the walls of a disused south London tunnel with offbeat murals as part of a three-day stencil-art street party that opens this weekend.

The subversive British tagger turned art-house sensation marshaled more than three dozen international artists for what he is calling the "Cans Festival" - and is encouraging visitors to contribute their own graffiti starting Saturday.

"I'm hoping we can transform a dark forgotten filth pit into an oasis of beautiful art - in a dark forgotten filth pit," Banksy was quoted as saying in the Times of London, which carried a preview of the exhibition Friday.

Jo Brooks, a spokeswoman for the festival, said Cans - a play on the famous French film extravaganza in Cannes - features at least one work from 40 international artists and collectives which sport names such as Bandit, Schhh, Pure Evil, and Orticancvoodles.

Among Banksy's pieces are security cameras growing from a tree, a hooded figure cutting itself with a knife, and a worker spraying over ancient cave drawings, Brooks said.

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Jarrett Martineau

Artists confirmed so far include:

Bsas Stencil / Run Don't Walk / James Dodd (dlux) / Tom Civil (civilian) / Vexta / Prism / Daniel Melim / Altocontraste / Bandit / Roadsworth /3D Del Naja / Artiste-Ouvrier / Blek / Sten / Sadhu / C215 / Lucamaleonte / Lex / Orticanoodles / Kaagman / Dolk / Pobel / M-City / Vhils / Btoy / Coolture / Schhh / Borbo / Sam3 / Faile / John Grider / Logan Hicks / Pure Evil / Dot Masters / Dan / Eelus / Banksy

liamssoft
good stuff:

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Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff. Banksy always original and a pleasure to view. I hope the local council agree..

Beaulieu
good stuff:

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff. I've suggested it to a friend

Jarrett Martineau

Amazing photos everyone -- thanks so much to everyone who posted!

unusualimage

The Cans Festival- London


"You speak for your generation when you keep your mouth shut"


Best Exhibition of Stencil Art!!

unusualimage

Great Pictures Thanks!

May 2, 2008 at 02:25 pm by Jarrett Martineau, 2594 views, 6 comments