Banksy comes to Newmarket: world-renowned street artist on exhibition at National Horseracing Museum

Racing and contemporary art do not come together very often so it was nice to see a healthy representation from both parties at the launch of The Urban Frame: Mutiny in Colour at the National Horseracing Museum last week.

The 50-work exhibition features seven giant canvases of street art by the world-renowned Banksy which are replicas of those he painted on walls and buildings around Ukraine after Russia invaded the country last year.

The original works were in the process of being sold off shortly after war broke out and photographs of the seven were then taken to forward on to potential purchasers. Since then, five of the seven originals have been destroyed by bombs or artillery fire from the Russian army.

Now in the King’s Yard, where the main centre of attention is usually a statue of Frankel, the seven works have been recreated and are under cover for the public’s inspection. They include Gas Mask, which famously appeared on a wall in the city of Hostomel and features a woman in dressing gown and curlers wearing a gas mask.

Gas Mask: appeared on a wall in the city of Hostomel in Ukraine

There are two gymnast-related canvases, including Young Gymnast, which appeared in Borodyanka and strikingly depicts a young girl performing a handstand amid the rubble of her town. The other is Injured Gymnast, from the city of Irpin, a picture of a rhythmic gymnast wearing a neck brace as an act of perseverance.

The exhibition is billed as the largest modern art exhibition in the UK this year and is set to run across two other locations in West Suffolk until October 1 – the Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill Arts Centre, although the latter does not open until July.

It is hoped the exhibition, which has been organised in conjunction with Brandler Galleries, can boost the coffers of the National Horseracing Museum and the signs are good, with plenty of art aficionados about and racing luminaries such as Sir Mark Prescott and Cheveley Park Stud’s racing manager Chris Richardson in attendance.

“I thought the exhibition was fantastic,” Richardson said, “and hopefully plenty of people will come and hear the fascinating stories behind the exhibits. It was particularly nice to see so many non-racing people in the museum for a change.”

Admission is £7 for adults, £3 for 12-18-year-olds and free for under-12s.

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