Banksy

born England 1974

Banksy is the pseudonym of a well-known English graffiti artist from Bristol. His artwork is often political and/or humorous in nature. His street art, which combines graffiti with a distinctive stencilling technique, has appeared in London and in cities around the world. Despite much speculation, Banksy's true identity remains unknown. Simon Hattenstone from Guardian Unlimited is one of the very few people to have interviewed him face-to-face. Hattenstone describes him as "a cross of Jimmy Nail and British rapper Mike Skinner" and "a 28 year old male who showed up wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a silver tooth, silver chain, and one silver earring".

Select Timeline

• 2006 Banksy held an exhibition called Barely Legal, billed as a "three day vandalised warehouse extravaganza" in which he featured a live "elephant in a room", painted in a pink and gold floral wallpaper pattern.
• 2003 In a show called "Turf War", held in a warehouse, he painted on animals.

Select Exhibitions/Stunts

• At London Zoo, he painted "We're bored of fish" in seven foot high letters in the penguin enclosure.
• At Bristol Zoo, he left the message "I want out. This place is too cold. Keeper smells. Boring, boring, boring." in the elephant enclosure.
• In May 2005 Banksy's version of a primitive cave painting depicting a human figure hunting wildlife whilst pushing a shopping trolley was found hanging in the British Museum, London. Upon discovery, the museum added it to their permanent collection.
• In 2005, Banksy painted nine images on the Israeli West Bank barrier. Included was an image of a ladder going up and over the wall and an image of children digging a hole through the wall.
• In August/September 2006, Banksy replaced up to 500 copies of Paris Hilton's debut CD, Paris, in 48 different UK record stores with his own cover art and remixes by Danger Mouse. Music tracks were given titles such as "Why am I Famous?", "What Have I Done?" and "What Am I For?."
• September 2006, Banksy dressed an inflatable doll in the manner of a Guantanamo Bay detainment camp prisoner and placed the figure within the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California.

Select Works

• Art Attack *
• Stable Conditions *
• Window On The West Bank *
• Balloon Debate *
• Cut It Out *
• Escapism *
• Unwelcome Intervention *
• Rocket Launcher *
• Tramp Angel Pissed *
• Orang Utan Help Me *
• Laugh Now *
• Nelson's Column *
• God Save the Quee *

*May Not be official titles but are commonly used by public to refer to an Artwork.

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