CHICAGO – The much-anticipated “Art of Banksy” exhibition has been canceled.
Organizers at the space announced Wednesday they’ve been unable to come to terms with exhibit curators.
The exhibition was slated to run Aug. 7 through Oct. 31 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts on South Ashland Avenue.
Epiphany Center co-founder David Chase says they’ve reached out to the team several times over the last month, but they’ve been harder to find than the artist himself.
The venue had previously canceled several events and musical performances to accommodate the exhibit.
Last month, WGN spoke with Phil Aiello and Hayley Nagengast, whose wedding plans were impacted by the exhibition’s impending residence.
Chase provided the following statement on Wednesday afternoon that read, in part:
“Despite numerous good faith attempts, we have not been able to come to terms on a lease that would allow the team behind The Art of Banksy (TAOB) to host their exhibit at our West Loop venue, Epiphany Center for the Arts (Epiphany). After weeks of planning and negotiations that included design and construction details specific to Epiphany’s historic spaces, including the flow of TAOB patrons throughout the exhibition and Epiphany’s common areas, we have reached a dead end. The team behind TAOB has ceased communicating with Epiphany and, after nearly a month of negotiations and preparations, all efforts to move forward with a rental agreement have gone unanswered. Like the elusive Banksy himself, the team behind The Art of Banksy is nowhere to be found.
This curious and unexpected predicament has left Epiphany no choice but to conclude that TAOB will not take place at Epiphany as previously announced. Following is a summary of what transpired, leading us to this point.
Statement from David Chase, Co-founder, Epiphany Center for the Arts
The Producers of The Art of Banksy sent the following statement Wednesday night in response to the cancellation:
“We regret that due to irreconcilable differences between our organization and the owners of Epiphany Center for the Arts, we are currently confirming an alternate venue for The Art of Banksy. Epiphany Center’s management team frequently changed the terms of our agreement in a way that made producing the show in this venue untenable. Providing our patrons the optimal art-viewing experience and exemplary customer service is our primary concern. We will announce our new venue shortly. All patrons will be notified of the change of venue once it is confirmed.”
Statement from The Producers of The Art of Banksy