WHO IS HE ?
•Name:Unknown (Banksy is a pseudonymous.) •Sex: Male. •Born: He is believed to be a native of Yate, South Gloucestershire, near Bristol and to have been born in 1974. •Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist 1992– 1994 inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene.
What he says about his technique “I use whatever it takes. Sometimes that just means
drawing a moustache on a girl’s face on some billboard, sometimes that means sweating for days over an intricate drawing. Efficiency is the key”
His messages are often focus on controversial political and social issues.
Banksy's stencils feature striking and humorous images occasionally combined with slogans. The message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or antiestablishment. Subjects include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly.
War
Anti-capitalist
Environment
Anti-establishment. Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals to make the world a better looking place.
PALESTINE In August 2005, Banksy, on a trip to the Palestinian territories, created nine images on Israel's highly controversial West Bank barrier.
"The Israeli government is building a wall surrounding the occupied Palestinian territories. It stands three times the height of the Berlin Wall and will eventually run for over 700km—the distance from London to Zurich. The wall is illegal under international law and essentially turns Palestine into the world's largest open prison."
Old man: You paint the wall, you make it look beautiful.
Banksy: Thanks. Old man: We don´t want it to be beautiful, we hate it, go home
New Orleans
BANKSY OF ENGLAND In August 2004, Banksy produced a quantity of spoof British £10 notes substituting the picture of the Queen's head with Princess Diana's head and changing the text "Bank of England" to "Banksy of England." Someone threw a large wad of these into a crowd at Notting Hill Carnival that year, which some recipients then tried to spend in local shops.
The individual notes have since been selling on eBay for about £200 each. One of these sold in October 2007 at Bonhams auction house in London for £24,000.
Banksy vs Robbo
National History Museum, London. Lasted 2 hours.
Tate Galery
Rock with marker pen. British
Museum, London. Lasted 8 days Now in permanent collection.
Graffiti art or vandalism.
All artists are prepared to suffer for their work, but why are so few prepared to learn to draw?