#Banksy is a name that would attract every #art enthusiast's attention. He is known for his unconventional art with numerous #graffiti, a book and an Oscar-nominated movie, but he is more popular because of his anonymity. In this piece, we try and decode the #artist and the person. Read more here :http://bit.ly/2Mk5KUN

1. 1 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Banksy: Unravelling the story of the
mystery man
The man, the legend, the iconic artist. Banksy is a name that would raise every
art enthusiast’s ears. So, let’s take a look at who he is and how he earned his
fame.
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.
Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.”
—Oscar Wilde
Maybe that’s why Banksy refuses to uncover his identity, so he could embody
the role of one who exposes the truth of consumerism and capitalism.

2. 2 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
A world-renowned mystery man, a man who can make you a millionaire if he
chooses your wall to paint on, Banksy is arguably the most spoken about
street artist of the age. And what adds to the controversy of his work is that,
in 20 years of his career, no one knows who he is. Banksy refuses to do
interviews and has never been caught ‘red-handed’.
He could be an individual or an organisation who secretively transforms street
walls into magnificent murals that shine a light on the dark side of
consumerism and capitalism.
His rise to fame
From painting murals to directing an Oscar-nominated movie, not only does
Banksy’s work have flair it also tries to convey a message to the ones who
see it on their streets. He has been an active graffiti artist since the early ’90s.
He started as a vandalizing street artist painting graffiti on the street walls of
Bristol (his home town), London & Brighton and gradually earned his
reputation as an artist all around the world.
You might notice a few of his works as viral photographs on social media like
Girl with Balloon, Kissing Coppers and Slave Labour. But he does not stop at
just wall art. His Mobile Waterfall was an artificial scenario of a fully functional
waterfall in the back of a van. It also featured butterflies, nature sounds and a
rainbow. He drove it around New York City reminding people of serenity.

3. 3 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Girl with Balloon. Source: guyhepner.com
In August 2015, he created an entire amusement park called Dismaland which
embodied anti-consumerism and was a mockery of Disneyland. The park was
created by Banksy but it also featured works of various other artists. The park
featured Crashed Cinderella, GlitchyAriel and a remote-control refugee boat
game.
Left: Kissing Coppers. Source: theargus.co.uk || Right: Dismaland. Source: nonprofitquaterly.org

4. 4 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
He also published a book in 2005 called Wall and Piece and directed an
Oscar-nominated movie titled Exit through the Gift Shop.
The unique style of Stencil Graffiti
The most remarkable of his art techniques is the use of stencils which he
developed as a means of quick graffiti. It was revolutionary for street art and
his career as it is nearly impossible to spend hours painting graffiti without
being recognized by someone.
The story of how he came up with this idea is also an interesting one. Now,
the basis of his said history relies on rumours and speculations, often with him
suspiciously being quoted as the source. But, nonetheless, the story goes—
Banksy left school when he was very young (some suggest that he was
expelled from his school). He grew up in the Barton Hill district of Bristol which
was quite scary at the time. He told a fellow graffiti artist and author, Felix
Braun, “My dad was badly beaten up there as a kid”.
When he was 18, he once tried to paint a train with his mates and they were
raided by the British Transport Police. Everyone bolted leaving Banksy
behind. He says, “The rest of my mates made it to the car and disappeared
so I spent over an hour hidden under a dumper truck with engine oil leaking
all over me. As I lay there listening to the cops on the tracks, I realized I had
to cut my time in half or give it up altogether. I was staring straight up at the
stenciled plate on the bottom of the fuel tank when I realized I could just copy
that style and make each letter three feet high.”

5. 5 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Triston Manco, an author and friend of his, recalls him saying:
“As soon as I cut my first stencil, I could feel the power there. I
also like the political edge. All graffiti is low-level dissent, but
stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start
revolutions and to stop war.”
His rumoured identity and the controversial auction
of paintings
The masked evangelist of street art and freedom of expression has
successfully kept his identity a secret, but people have certain theories of who
he could be. The most popular guess has been that he is a man that goes by
the name of Robin Gunningham. In 1994, Banksy checked into a hotel by the
name Robin and in 2017 a DJ named Goldy referred to him as Rob. Robin is
also an artist living in Bristol, but he consistently refuses of being Banksy.
Nonetheless, his art, even though being controversial and satirical in nature
of the society, is highly appreciated by art connoisseurs all around the world.
In recent accomplishments, his latest work Devolved Parliament was
auctioned in London at £9.9 million on October 3rd.

6. 6 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Devolved Parliament. Source: dazeddigital.com
But none of these auctions are held with Banksy’s consent. Banksy would
leave graffiti on the walls, sometimes public but also often privately owned.
So once the artist gained popularity, people started stripping off the paintings
from the walls and auctioned them.
This movement came into light when his 2004 graffiti named Kissing Coppers,
which he painted in Brighton, was sold in 2014 at $575,000 at an auction in the
USA. This was also observed when his internationally reputed graffiti Slave
Labor [Bunting Boy] on a public wall in London disappeared one night and was
sold in the USA for around $500,000 – $700,000. But the residents of the area
claimed it back and said that it belonged to them. It embodied the human rights
issues of the UK and was returned to the UK where it was sold for $1.1 million!

7. 7 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Slave Labor. Source: theverge.com
A writer for the BBC once said, “If you happen to own a wall which Banksy
has used as a canvas for one of his artworks, I should imagine you are
perfectly within your rights to hack it out and sell it”.
Unfortunately, none of this money went to Banksy. And neither does he want
it. He condemns that his artwork is prey to consumerism and is sold at
auctions.
“I was very embarrassed when my canvases began to fetch
high prices. I saw myself condemned to a future of painting
nothing but masterpieces.”

8. 8 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
But Banksy also has his way to make people aware of his disapproval of such
acts. In a 2018 Sotheby’s auction of his most reputed sketch Girl with Balloon
in London, the painting self-shred inside the frame as soon as it was sold. And
it was sold for about $1.1 million! Banksy’s Instagram handle also posted a
video of a man installing shredder inside the frame of the painting with the
caption, quoting Picasso: “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.”
The shredded canvas of Girl with Balloon. Source: thejakartapost.com
Lamentably, artists and critics believe that shredding the painting just
increased its value. The auction house said that “This is the first work in history
ever created during a live auction”.

9. 9 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Another interesting fact about this auction: In a photograph of the painting
being shredded, you can see the reflection of Robin Gunningham standing at
the exact angle from where Banksy might’ve taken the video. Now is Robin
actually the artist or is Banksy tricking the audience by this act itself?
Nonetheless, Banksy still needs to earn his bread and butter. And he does
that through Pest Control, a handling service acting on behalf of the artist.
Pest Control is the sole point of sale for Banksy’s new works and the source
for his income. And if he makes a big sale, he often donates the excess money
to charities and people in need.
A few days earlier, Banksy opened a pop-up homewares store in Croydon
named ‘Gross Domestic Product’. The store was opened to tackle a lawsuit
against Banksy by a greeting cards company to seize legal custody of his
name. And to prevent this, he was advised to sell his own range of branded
merchandise.

10. 10 | P a g e
https://creativeyatra.com/
Left: The merchandise store of Banksy’s products. || Right: The description of the store and its purpose. Source:
twistedsifter.com
Being pushed by the lawsuits and the rising curiosity of people all around the
world might just make him reveal his identity very soon. Or he shall forever be
immortalized in history as the anonymous artist. And who knows, he might
have a disciple who will be taking his title or at least carrying forward his
legacy.