BANKSY ARCHIVE 01 THE SCHOOL OF BRISTOL 1983-2005

The origins of the English street art movement and the School of Bristol — the birthplace of the most controversial contemporary artist

The exhibition reconstructs, through a historical and critical lens, the cultural and visual roots of Banksy's work, restoring depth to a phenomenon too often reduced to a media icon. The volume explores Bristol as a laboratory of artistic and political experimentation, where graffiti, music cultures, and practices of urban dissent intertwine to give rise to a shared visual language.

Through essays, archival materials, images, and critical contributions, the catalogue traces the period between 1983 and 2005, highlighting the role of the so-called "The School of Bristol" and its key figures — from Inkie to 3D, through to Banksy himself. The publication reveals how the artist emerged from a collective genealogy, developing and radicalising practices already present in the city's underground scene.

Edited by Stefano Antonelli and Gianluca Marziani, alongside some of the most prominent critics of modern and contemporary art, the volume takes shape as a tool for study and collective storytelling — one that revisits street art not merely as an aesthetic expression, but as a form of critical intervention in urban space and contemporary memory.