People who waited in line for hours to see the Toronto iteration of a much-hyped exhibition on internationally-renowned street artist Banksy were sorely disappointed this past weekend when they found the production to be the complete opposite of what was promised.
Banksyland, which is touring 22 cities across North America, touts itself as a multi-sensory immersion into works of “the world’s most infamous and elusive artist,” with upwards of 80 separate pieces and installations from the England-born painter.
But, despite the fact that the show sold out in multiple cities south of the border, attendees here in T.O. are complaining about over-crowding, a sub-par experience, and a serious lack of organization and professionalism from hosts Lumio Studio and One Thousand Ways.
“The exhibit went horribly. Friday was cancelled due to electricity issues. Saturday had crazy wait times 1–2 hours past the time on the ticket. The organizers are not offering refunds and changed the name on Google Maps to suppress the negative reviews,” one participant wrote to blogTO of the event, which took place August 25–27.
“The Banksyland event is a complete scam,” another wrote, pointing to a flurry of one-star reviews on Google, which some say the firms are deleting as they are posted.
Now under the name “LS. Customs” at the same address of where the attraction was held, Banksyland Toronto has a Google rating of 1.3 out of 22 reviews that call it “terrible,” “a disaster,” “shady” and worse.
Accounts claim that the display was “tense and disorganized,” and that those who paid $26 (for students) to $69 (for the VIP experience) plus tax did so for “a disappointing 10 minute show” that largely comprised photos of Banksy’s works with basic descriptions.
“It’s very disappointing considering the price. It seems like the organizer didn’t even know what they were trying to convey,” one person stated.
Multiple others decided to request refunds in light of the mess, with one writing that their refund was denied after they travelled three hours just to be completely let down.
Banksyland administrators have yet to respond to blogTO’s request for comment on the matter.
