Banksy exhibition a success
London’s top attractions were outperformed by a distinctly down-at-heel venue. A temporary exhibition in an unlovely London tunnel described by one art critic, Shirley Dent, as “Piss Alley”.
During the Bank Holiday weekend, 9,500 people a day descended on Leake Street, near Waterloo Station, to see the Cans Festival, the subculture blockbuster of graffiti art organised by Banksy. Nearly 500 of them added their own stencils to the pieces by Banksy and the 38 other artists from around the world he invited to take part.
And although the exhibition officially closed at the end of the Bank Holiday, the paintings are all still up there on the walls - and a steady stream of people has been turning up to see them. Some of the works have been stolen, too: a couple of grafitti pieces - neither of them by Banksy - were painted on to metal doors that enterprising street art collectors quickly nabbed.
