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Street artist Banksy makes statement at Venice art event

Street artist Banksy apparently made an appearance at a Venice art show.

VENICE, Italy — Street artist Banksy has taken his political statements to Italy.

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The British-based artist showed up unannounced at the Venice Biennale and said he set up a stall, calling it "Venice in Oil," the BBC reported.

"Despite being the largest and most prestigious art event in the world, for some reason I've never been invited," Banksy wrote on his verified Instagram account.

In the video, a man is shown with a series of paintings depicting a large cruise ship in the Italian city, CNN reported. At the end of the video, police appear to be evicting the man from the piazza.

The paintings refer to the controversy of large cruise ships docking in Venice's canals, the BBC reported.

Banksy's identity has never been officially revealed. He is noted for a series of satirical graffiti pieces that appeared on buildings in the United Kingdom, the BBC reported.

In October, Banksy's painting "Girl With Balloon," was sold at a Sotheby's auction Friday night in London for more than $1 million, the BBC reported. But as soon as the winning telephone bid had been verified, the painting suddenly passed through a shredder that was installed in the frame.

In December, Banksy confirmed he created a piece of graffiti that appeared on a wall in a south Wales town, with the caption, "Seasons greetings." The image depicts a child with his arms outstretched with what appears to be snow falling on him, but the other side of the wall reveals a fire spewing ash.