This chapter talks mainly about the backstory of Banksy, the history of the area where he got his start in graffiti art, and a little bit about street art itself in Bristol.
“Banksy” is a persona, not a person. The world knows only what Banksy wants it to know about himself, his past, and his motives. Most of his interviews are conducted by e-mail, with the interviewing party having to trust that they are speaking to the actual Banksy and not an impersonator. By remaining anonymous Banksy is able to present himself as an “everyman” that anyone can identify with. But he also paints his own picture of “Banksy” by dropping clues as to who he really is, or who he wants us to think he is.
Banksy once said that he comes from a working class background, but this proves to be a fabricated lie in order to help maintain his image. Banksy actually attended a well-to-do school and received a top level education. So, why does Banksy feel the need to alter his background? Could it have anything to do with the stereotypical portrayal of graffiti artists as lower income thug types? I think it is apparent that in order to fit in with the crowd at Bristol, which was a rather rough crowd at the time, he would had to lie about his background. But also, this persona that he created might have helped shape a public image of graffiti artists that is not necessarily honest or true.
When John Nation started his “aerosol art” movement at Barton Hill, he gave birth to a place that made street art legal in this one area of Bristol. Youths from bad neighborhoods (again, reinforcing the stereotype) could come together and legally paint during the day and then would go out and tag illegally at night.
Arrests were eventually made at Barton Hill, and many artists were fined for damaging property. Banksy was too young and not yet involved in this scene to get into trouble, and this was lucky. He became a part of a second wave of graffiti artists who came after this first cycle of arrests. It was at this point that he started crafting his persona; experimenting with different pseudonyms such as Robin Banx until settling on his infamous choice.
Did he feel it was necessary to make an alias because his background did not correspond with that of his contemporaries? It is interesting to consider that maybe graffiti culture is not inherent in Banksy’s life. He said himself that he was scared and intimidated of the area because of stories his father used to tell him, maybe he created a false past in order to fit in.
But does this make him not a legitimate street artist? Does where you came from direct what kind of art you are allowed to do, and anything else is just impersonation or appropriation? An old friend of Banksy was quoted saying “He was never a graffiti artist who sold out, because he was never a graffiti artist to start with” (pg. 36).
What do you think? Does Banksy lying about his past influence your opinion of him and his artwork in any way? Does it make his artwork any less legitimate, or does it not matter where he came from so long as he has talent? Since Banksy lied about his background does that inherently mean that he believes the answer is yes?