We've never claimed that this exhibition was organised or coordinated by Banksy. On the contrary, in all our interviews we directly stated that our exhibition could cause a negative reaction on his part. The fact that Banksy himself drew attention to the exhibition indirectly confirms the significance of this event for him too.
Now to the numbers and details. The weekend ticket price of 650 rubles comes to less than £8, not £20. In addition, we offer discounted rates for both adults and children with disabilities, schoolchidren and students. The exposition features dozens and dozens of works provided by various private collectors who have every right to exhibit the artist's work at their own discretion. We have exclusively authorized works of art, not pieces of walls vandalized against Banksy's will. Each and every one of them has a certificate of authenticity.
It was a very difficult task indeed to bring his art to Moscow (especially to the exhibition venue in the very heart of the city), to agree upon the use of 70-metre banners, to convince collectors that they'll get their art back. We're very glad that we have succeeded. Moreover, specially for this event, we have created multimedia and photo content that gives a general idea of Banksy's body of work. To date, our exhibition has already been visited by 252,000 people, and 95% of the comments we've received were overwhelmingly positive.
Given the current dynamics, soon we'll reach 300,000 visitors, which means that the Moscow exhibition will be the most visited exhibition in the history of all exhibitions featuring Banksy's art, including those organised by the artist himself. I am very glad that thanks to this exhibition, people of Moscow and guests of the Russian capital will have the rare opportunity to learn more about Banksy and his projects.
Alexander Nachkebiya, producer, organiser of the exhibition in Russia