[Daniel Silk]

Banksy Identity Unknown.

Just thinking about what Banksy's life must be like now Is he able to walk the streets in Bristol? Can he visit gallery shows by his favorite Artists?
I just wonder if he might now question if keeping his identity secret was a good idea I just worry a bit for him coz it must be really difficult now, coz everywhere he goes he must have people searching for him.

What do you think?

What is the way forward for him regarding keeping his identity secret?

[bigtlt]

Mar 3, 2010 17:06:05 GMT 1 Daniel Silk said:

Banksy Identity Unknown.

Just thinking about what Banksy's life must be like now Is he able to walk the streets in Bristol? Can he visit gallery shows by his favorite Artists?
I just wonder if he might now question if keeping his identity secret was a good idea I just worry a bit for him coz it must be really difficult now, coz everywhere he goes he must have people searching for him.

What do you think?

What is the way forward for him regarding keeping his identity secret?

That there is the whole basis of the sequel to ETTGS.

Its like a Mr Bean film with Banksy gettin into silly situations with people spotting him.

Its Hilarious and wins him many Oscars

OR POSSIBLY NOT!

[Daniel Silk]

I just think sometimes people forget Banksy is a real person, and his day to day life must be very difficult

[alexnh123]

i hear you on this one Silky to some extent. His day to day must be filled with satisfaction and anxiety in equal measures.
i'm sure in general though the pros outway the cons. Can't see a show by my favourite artist; tonight, but i can go on holiday tomorrow to wherever i want!
Worst case scenarios; if his comments in the time out article is to be taken literally; then he sounds like he's concered about being identified and beaten up (like the lookalike).
And if the police spot him and he can't pay them off, then his lawyers argument that he is actually adding value to property could stand up and ensure he get's away with it. Doesn't account for trespassing etc etc but at least that's the main 2 worries out of the way. i think the worst would have happened by now though.

[gozgoz]

i havent seen the movie yet but why cant he walk the streets or visit gallery?
is this one massive spoiler?

[Daniel Silk]

Mar 3, 2010 18:49:05 GMT 1 gozgoz said:

i havent seen the movie yet but why cant he walk the streets or visit gallery?
is this one massive spoiler?

The film doesn't give anything away, its just people around Bristol must know who he is from back in the day when it wasn't a secret.

[Daniel Silk]

;D Watch this -

[howlinhooker]

if i had that sort of bob.......my life wouldnt be difficult either

[naughtyshorty]

thing is, i do wonder how we dont know who he is yet. If you believe the daily mail, its Robert Gunningham... but i do wonder how, considering that we live in a CCTV society, and considering that there must be a circle of people who do know who he is for certain, that those who have fallen out with him, and those who have known and do dislike him, havent spoken out and "outed him"...

but for the moment, he still lives in realative anonymity, and therefore, i expect live is pretty good for him..

[illu]

i think he'll have some trouble in his day2day but most of the time it must be really funny.....watchin people taken pics of his pieces, listening to discussions about him in a pub, etc.......i follow the mr bean idea

[Jeezuz Jones Snr]

Suprised his mum hasn't slipped up (and said her son is banksy) when she's down the bingo with the girls!!!!! And his wife/misses, she must be black mailing him big style

[Daniel Silk]

Exactly! He must have to be so careful everywhere he goes, everyone he meets, even people who have been mates with him for years It cant be easy.

[stickitup]

but people who know him as Rob don't neccessarily know him as Banksy, even in the graff circles you move in crowds who either know who you are or they don't. Day to day life will be easy whilst he goes around as Rob, same as every other graffiti artist. In all honesty life must be easy whilst he isn't being Banksy.

[lumbo]

That's assuming he still lives in Bristol. If you want to stay anonymous then you'd probably move to London, wouldn't you?

I'm sure the few pics we've all seen of him are really just his mate Dave... if he's clever enough to pull off some of the audacious stunts he's got away with, I think he'd be a bit cleverer about getting seen hanging out in old haunts, or even photographed smiling.

I'd also like to bet he's a member on here... winding people up trying to sell bollards

[wave]

I'd be very surprised if he wasn't a member on here. Also think he would probably have attended a few of his own screenings.

If tho he's keeping his identity secret for fear of repecussions, why is it that many other street artists don't have the same problem?
Saw the movie last night and Shepard Fairey for eg wasn't exactly camera shy.

[jfury]

Mar 4, 2010 14:37:17 GMT 1 @lumbo said:

That's assuming he still lives in Bristol. If you want to stay anonymous then you'd probably move to London, wouldn't you?

I'm sure the few pics we've all seen of him are really just his mate Dave... if he's clever enough to pull off some of the audacious stunts he's got away with, I think he'd be a bit cleverer about getting seen hanging out in old haunts, or even photographed smiling.

I'd also like to bet he's a member on here... winding people up trying to sell bollards

I am sure he lives in London. Either used to live in the east or still does.

[lumbo]

Think I read somewhere he was living with Eine in Hackney some time back, which would make sense...

For sure it's entirely down to all the secrecy that will always keep him leaps ahead of Shep and the rest of the field (as well as the satire, that most try, but don't even come close to). Guess some people don't like a smart arse... especially a secretive one...

At the end of the day, we're a nation of curtain twitchers and gossips, so for as long as he can keep himself hidden, we'll all be watching and speculating.

Would be interested to see what happened to his prices and popularity if he was outed though.

[naughtyshorty]

but that's the thing... in one way he has been outed. That Daily Mail article (and no, i dont read that sh1te, but did catch this article) was pretty conclusive... but... nothting seems to have happened since, and it all seems to have been ignored.

thats the only time he's been 'outed' to my knowledge, unless others know otherwise?

[dmtr]

Mar 4, 2010 18:51:00 GMT 1 naughtyshorty said:

but that's the thing... in one way he has been outed. That Daily Mail article (and no, i dont read that sh1te, but did catch this article) was pretty conclusive... but... nothting seems to have happened since, and it all seems to have been ignored.

thats the only time he's been 'outed' to my knowledge, unless others know otherwise?

Didn't know if there was a rule on this forum about not mentioning that article...but its pretty legit. I think people just don't want to know.

[stickitup]

and no one took too much notice of the Jamaican photographers pics, which in my opinion were him. So lets recap, we have a name and a face.....If PC plod really wanted to charge him with spawning a thousand vandals and vandalism on a fairly grand scale they could, the problem obviously lies in the fact that they do not know exactly where he is. A warrent for his arrest at airport security would be an easy way to knab him though.

[mattgold]

Forget Banksy... I feel bad for The Stig.


I do find this concept of anonymity incredibly fascinating though, and not to generalize, but it seems to be a rather 'British' thing. At least recently it has been; Banksy, The Stig, The Gorillaz.


Anyone else in British folklore/history that played to this image?

[poppa]

[poppa]

Mar 3, 2010 19:12:57 GMT 1 Daniel Silk said:

;D Watch this -

who is the guy about 8 mins 14 secs?

[lumbo]

I heard Banksy and the Stig were both in Daft Punk :-D

[mattgold]

Ah right! There's one I forgot - Daft Punk

[tonysantos2001]

I think why people don't really care about "THAT" article is the fact that we never really found out much about Mr B in the sense that yes, we got background material on him, the who and where but i think what would cause more of a storm would be if we saw footage of the man himself in action and producing works on cam as it were. You could argue that we saw alot of this in "Exit" (imagine all the footage we DIDN'T see huh?!) But to see him warts and all as it were would make him human! As it is we have the odd pic (such as those from Peter Dean Rickards) and the footage from "Exit" but nothing that makes him human, if anything the teasing morsals that we've seen actually help perpetuate the man and myth more than anything else! As a great man once said "It's not what people say or do that's of interest, it's what they don't" By that lets take Exit for example, Since the museum trailers there has been speculation with regard to Mr B being left or right handed, also that he's married! At different points in "Exit" the wedding ring seems to disappear and reappear, also in the scene in the studio where he's producing the large "Applause" canvas using the OHP for the L.A. show, he appears to be using his right hand. Lets also take a look at what might be just another throwaway scene, Where Thierry is bouncing around on the trampoline whilst he's in the U.K. "visiting Banksy to show him Life Remote Control" , If you look at what else is going on with that scene you'll notice that the garden seems to be in a country location with remote rolling hills in the background and as well as the trampoline there is also a childs swing to the right of frame.

In conclusion i think that it's safe to assume that Mr B has a fairly regular life like that of any young married couple in there early thirties with a young family. He sleeps just like us, eats like us, hell he even s**ts like us! Granted he has a layer of financial security but i'm sure he doesn't really boast to his neghbours who or what he does, seriously, how many of you know what your neighbours do for a living? You may be on stop and chat terms with a few of them but nothing really that deep just the usual "how's the kids" and all that, therefore he could probably get away with saying that he develops websites or whatever and nobody would blink an eye.

At the end of the day we will only ever get to know the REAL Mr B if one of two things happens, 1, He decides to out himself, Doubtful this would happen as one of the reasons that he stays so hidden (unlike say Shep) is that there has now been SO much hype built up around him and he's built a nice little system of working so he can keep his public persona (Banksy) and private (Rob Gunningham or whoever it might be) private! I'm sure as well that having a young family he wishes to have some level of domestic normalicy. Or 2, if (god forbid) He splits from his wife.

In my opinion i think that with regard to his identity we should just leave it be, if he really wants to do something for the TRUE fans, not the flippers and speculators then he would release a video of his studio or even better a sketchbook with all the doodles and unfinished pieces of which he can add his own comments, that what, where and why if you will! I think if he did that then we will Really get to know the REAL BANKSY!

(And if he needs somebody to sift through all the stuff in his studio i'll be MORE than happy to oblige, after signing a non disclosure agreement of course

[wingdog]

Mar 3, 2010 17:06:05 GMT 1 Daniel Silk said:

Banksy Identity Unknown.

Just thinking about what Banksy's life must be like now Is he able to walk the streets in Bristol? Can he visit gallery shows by his favorite Artists?
I just wonder if he might now question if keeping his identity secret was a good idea I just worry a bit for him coz it must be really difficult now, coz everywhere he goes he must have people searching for him.

What do you think?

What is the way forward for him regarding keeping his identity secret?

I think it's hilarious you have any sympathy for Bansky. Do you have sympathy for Brad Pitt, and think poor guy, he can't walk down the street because he's too famous and got too much money.

Whether you're an actor, musician or artist and you start becoming successful you know the risks, the pro's and con's, and you can decide to continue.

It must be such a terrible life, to be a successful artist, inspire kids into street art and be able to execute any idea into thought provocative work.

Banksy knows this is all a game, and can't imagine he loses too much sleep over whether his identity is revealed. I can imagine he has a certain quality of life that you'd be quite happy with. As is Mrs Banksy.

[Daniel Silk]

"For the first time ever, Banksy reveals himself to the public and gives us an exciting glimpse into his day to day life."

[rowan]

Would people really be happy, if he was totally unmasked and forced into the public eye, like some kind of Paris Hilton figure!

People seeking him out for autographs, papped in the Sun buying milk and bread, talking about art and homemade soaps on the one show? Asked to talk to someone’s girlfriend down the phone!

The British media bastardises everything! Banksy would be no different... To remain anonymous isn't just a gimmick, it’s a requirement!

I imagine he lives a very comfortable life and enjoys all the trappings that the money and opportunities etc has afforded him, but at the same time there must be the constant stress of being ousted, and the implications of this!

As my old mum (sorry mum) says! “Its what’s inside that counts”... Its all about the workings of the man! How he does what he does, why does he do what he does, what his methods are, ideas, practices etc?

At the end of the day, what would you rather have? An Exit Through The Gift Shop to get excited about or a photo and a name and the end of Banksy and the introduction of Robert?

[grafik]

My cousin knew his back in the day, but said she hasnt seen him since 2002..