The idea that Banksy's identity is unknown is a complete myth perpuated by the popular press.<p>The guy is well known and very much part of the establishment.
so why don't you share who it is with the rest of the class?
why help perpetuate his (her?) secret identity mystique
> Banksy was born Robin Gunningham but later took the name David Jones<p>long been known as establishment friendly
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-art-banksy/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-a...</a>
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What on earth are you talking about? Banksy as part of the UK government? If so, I agree and I can help you with your tin foil hat, mine can protect against 6G, the one the government is keeping from you but using it for the lizard people and the military.
Unfortunately the article doesn't tell us much. I'd have hoped for some footage beyond what was released by the artist.
<a href="https://archive.is/sPURU" rel="nofollow">https://archive.is/sPURU</a>
Despite the denials, the answer is most likely this was all coordinated with LEAs.<p><pre><code> Some artists have questioned if Banksy, once considered anti-establishment, now enjoys special treatment from Britain's powers that be.
In 2014, Vice Media asked: 'Why Is Banksy the Only Person Allowed to Vandalize Britain’s Walls?' The story quoted David Speed, a street artist who ran a British graffiti collective. "It's very much one rule for him and another rule for everyone else ... When street artists do it, it's vandalism. When Banksy does it, it's an art piece."
Contacted by Reuters, Speed praised Banksy as "a really important artist of modern times." Yet he still wonders why "one artist should be able to have carte blanche and everyone else would be subject to penalties."
</code></pre>
<i>In Search of Banksy</i>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-art-banksy/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-a...</a> (2026).
Not sure I agree it’s “most likely” when the linked article presents no evidence of LEA awareness or complicity, just one person speculating.<p>I know firsthand what can be done with a hardhat, clipboard, and high-viz vest. IMO it is <i>far</i> more likely that Banksy is just really good at social engineering in ways that other street artists are not.
I imagine this just isn't that difficult to get away with. Most areas are basically empty in the early hours of the morning (even in the middle of the city). And people doing some kind of engineering or installation work at that time would also not be that unusual.
The difference is that you'd get a police visit and your artwork torn down if you're not Banksy.
Plus this is pretty much the only street artist with worldwide name recognition; of course things are going to be different.
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This statue might be the best thing he's ever done. I love it.
very current, elegant yet simple to appreciate - everybody can find some reference there
Is it? The flag is black, so could be a variety of things, not necessarily even a national flag. Just a flag in a march. (Anarchism uses a black flag.)
The guy is walking off a cliff and he is blinded by the flag. I assume it is a commentary on Brexit. It is just short of a decade since that vote. Nationalism blinded people and they did something stupid. Not dissimilar to what is going on in the US too.
And how is blindly following a flag differ between a national flag and an ideology flag?
England has a long history producing artwork against some institution, only for that institution to get worse over time. George Orwell wrote about the dangers of authoritarianism and surveillance, and since then the UK government has only ratcheted up their surveillance and authority. They also made a movie called This is England which straightforwardly depicts young English nationalists ruining their lives with nationalism, and 20 years later there are more nationalists in England than at any point after WW2.<p>Will Banksy's legacy be more or less the same?