Street artist and political activist ‘Banksy’ has been one of the art world’s biggest mysterious as he has been completely anonymous since the 90s. However, a Reuters investigation has allegedly revealed his identity.
The believed identity of street artist Banksy, Robin Gunningham (Via: The Australian)
Journalists Simon Gardner, James Pearson, and Blake Morrison claimed that Banksy’s real identity is a 51-year-old man of Bristol, England, named Robin Gunningham.
The company Reuters led the investigation, set on finding out who he was due to an incident in 2022 where three people emerged and started using spray paint on an interior wall of a bombed out apartment outside of Kyiv.
Reports also claimed the man changed his name to a pseudonym of David Jones in 2008 to avoid being identified.
Banksy started out as a guerrilla artist who individuals found controversial due to politically-driven messaging as well as the pieces themselves being illegal graffiti on urban surfaces like buildings, doors, pavements, bridges and doors.
Some of the street artist and political activist’s most notable work include:
- Dismaland: A temporary satirical art installation featuring Disneyland-like escapism that critiqued pop culture, capitalism, celebrity culture, and surveillance, ultimately sending the message that ‘life isn’t always a fairytale’
- Girl With Balloon: A stencil mural series started in 2002 in London that featured an image of a little girl reaching out towards a red, heart-shaped balloon. It symbolized hope, innocence and loss.
- Love is in the Bin: During an auction in October of 2018, a shredding mechanism was built into the frame that held a painting of Banksy’s ‘Girl With Balloon’, cutting the the bottom half of the piece into strips. The performance art was an act of rebellion against capitalism within the art community, mocking art as a commodity.
Banksy’s “Love Is in the Bin” painting (Via: Banksy Explained)
According to Reuters, Banksy’s lawyer said his client “does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct.”
