Following the Croydon store opening in London, Banksy now launches the online shop for Gross Domestic Product™. The elusive British artist purveys his first-ever line of homewares such as mugs, and rugs alongside significant one-off pieces such as the ‘bullet-proof vest’ worn by Stormzy at Glastonbury festival. Gross Domestic Product™ (physical and online store) was created by the artist to secure his “Banksy” trademark following a legal battle last year with a greeting card company that attempted to seize legal custody of his moniker to sell branded merchandise.
The new site encompasses a diverse selection of “art, homewares and disappointment” with the artist claiming to have “price fixed the first releases for lower-income patrons,” said Banksy to HYPEBEAST. Adding that “wealthy art collectors are requested to refrain from shopping at the current time.” The prices range from affordable to extraordinary with some of the products on the site available for as little as £10 GBP (approximately $12 USD) and signed original prints begin at £500 GBP (approximately $643 USD).
“This is not a proper shop – I mean it is an actual shop, it sells stuff and offers refunds and complies with data protection – but all the products are made in an art studio, not a factory. We use recycled materials wherever possible and there’s an ingrained culture of daytime drinking, so supply is limited and it might take a while getting to you. Shopping with us is likely to be a disappointing retail experience – especially if you’re successful in making a purchase,” said Banksy to HYPEBEAST.
Those looking to purchase a product will need to register their personal details and “prove you are not a robot” by answering the question “Does art matter?” Furthermore, these responses will be judged by comedian Adam Bloom who is urging customers to make their answers as “amusing, informative or enlightening as possible.” Banksy adds: “We can’t ever weed out all the people who just want to flip for profit, but we can weed out the unfunny ones.”
Try your luck at purchasing one of the one-off pieces by visiting the official Gross Domestic Product™ online shop here. The shop launch follows Banksy’s recent, record-breaking £ 9.5M GBP (approx. $12.2 million USD) sale of his ‘Devolved Parliament’ painting at the Sotheby’s London auction.
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