A House of Commons crowded with thoughtful and worried-looking chimpanzees, a Parliament devoted to monkeys on one of the most important (and embarrassing) days in the history of the United Kingdom. Devolved Parliament, the work of Banksy (ri) appeared yesterday at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, of which the artist has posted a photo on his Instagram account. With this comment: I did it ten years ago. The Bristol Museum has re-proposed it to point out the day of Brexit, the day that was originally intended for exit from the EU and instead produced yet another proof of the inability of the British to agree with themselves, and tell us what they want to do (by touching the blue icon, the correspondence of Luigi Ippolito). After the first performance in 2009, the work had been bought by an anonymous collector who, for the occasion, lent it to the city museum of Banksy. A timing that once again underlines the talent and foresight of the greatest (and mysterious) street artist in the world, who - if need be - wanted to actualize the work with these words: Laugh now, but one day will not command nobody . It is the paraphrase of the writing that stood out on the sign exhibited by the monkey of another of his famous work of 2002 - Laugh now, but one day we will be in charge. And above all, the perfect description of the colossal vacuum of leadership, and of perspectives, that a great nation lives.
(This article appeared in the Corriere della Sera Press Review. To receive it via email every evening, or to read it along with the digital edition, just click here).