Recently there has been a lot of controversy and discrepancies about who is the real Banksy? As a massive influence into the underground art scene and culture, his identity still remains a mystery to all. Recently theories that Neil Buchanan, a well-respected former presenter on the 90s show Art Attack, could be the infamous Banksy. This conspiracy has caught the attention of many and sparked debates on twitter even being mentioned on media outlets such as Sky News, The Daily Mail and even The BBC. Banksy’s rise to fame started in Bristol during the late 90s and ever since his identity has remained allusive.
With many theories relating to who is behind the façade, including Robert Del Naja a founding member of the group Massive Attack or Robert Cunningham who grew up in Bristol and was known to be a talented illustrator during his younger years, similar to Banksy. With some of Banksy’s earliest pieces fetching over £1 million, his art is now both desirable and globally renowned as the artist has rose into mainstream culture with his empowering and controversial designs, now holding the notorious household name, Banksy.
His work has also been a massive influence on street and pop art, inspiring a whole new generation of artists through his revolution. I have been particularly interested in Banksy’s movement and has been greatly inspired by Banksy’s use of incorporating street art with modern and displaying controversial messages in all of his pieces. I have also included my own twist on modern street art, from iconic defaced notes like FEAR by Ian Brown, here to limited edition target prints here they all help to capture a controversial message on different figures in the limelight, from political rulers to musical geniuses.
