Barely Legal, Los Angeles, 2006

sebastien laboureau

May 14, 2021

Barely Legal
Los Angeles, October 2006

A Three Day Vandalized Warehouse Extravaganza

BANKSY OFFICIAL EXHIBIT

When: September 15-17, 2006

Where: Los Angeles, USA

Barely Legal was Banksy’s third major exhibition. It was held in a warehouse in Los Angeles on the weekend of September 16, 2006.

Billed as a “three-day vandalized warehouse extravaganza,” the exhibition featured a literal, live “elephant in a room” painted in a pink and gold floral wallpaper pattern, which, according to leaflets handed out at the exhibition, was intended to draw attention to the issue of world poverty. Banksy continued exploring the “modified oils” genre from his previous exhibition Crude Oils.

The opening of the exhibition was on 16 September 2006 and, just like Turf War, the address of the exhibition was not revealed to the public until the morning of the opening. Despite the short notice, the ceremony was attended by renowned artists, curators, critics, collectors, as well as many celebrities and influential personalities.

AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

There’s an elephant in the room.

There’s a problem we never talk about.

The fact is that life is not getting any fairer.

1.7 Billion people have no access to clean drinking water.

20 Billion people live below the poverty line.

Every day hundreds of people are made to feel physically sick by morons at art shows telling them how bad the world is but never actually doing something about it.

Anybody want a free glass of wine?

Manifesto

EXHIBIT VIEWS

THE BARELY LEGAL SET

The Barely Legal Print Set is comprised of 6 different prints: Sale Ends, Trolleys, Festival, Grannies, Applause, and Morons. They were initially printed by Modern Multiples of LA for the exhibition, and Pictures on Walls then released other editions. They have now become some of the most iconic Banksy prints.

Production began on the iconic “Barely Legal Print Set” in July 2006 when Banksy approached Los Angeles print maker Richard Duardo of Modern Multiples about creating new original works for his September exhibition. Duardo had been recommended to Banksy by Shepard Fairey. After securing the job, the late Duardo recounted that he did not hear again from Banksy until only 10 days prior to the opening of the exhibition, when he flew into LA with his works ready for reproduction. The Modern Multiples team worked tirelessly for the next week, producing 6 prints in editions of 100 each, with 6 Printer’s Proofs per image (PP) that were signed by Banksy and embossed with the insignia of Pictures on Walls, Banksy’s UK-based printer of record.