If you’ve been reading our recent CreativeFolk articles, you know it’s been an interesting time. It’s based around a theory that everything we thought we knew about Banksy is wrong. That the original Banksy who started out years ago creating stencils in and around Bristol, was pushed aside in the name of greed.
So, let’s quickly recap…
Firstly, our Devolved Parliament piece questioning ‘who really painted the £10m Banksy painting’ became a full page spread in the Mail on Sunday.
This was followed by a string of intriguing phone calls with someone stating they are the ‘real’ Banksy…
…which resulted in our ‘Will the real Banksy please stand up’ story attracting almost 9,000 visitors, from all over the world, in just one day.
Since that article, further communication has taken place.
We received info based around a new piece of work entitled ‘Kids with blades’. It features the infamous Halloween movie character, Michael Myers towering over a hooded youth. Both are wielding knives. Along side reads the text ‘Kids with blades, terror on the streets’.
The art discusses the escalating knife crimes plaguing many of the UK’s cities. Every week new horrific stories emerge…
Belfast Telegraph reports on knife attack October 28th
The Independent McDonalds Manchester Stabbings 23rd October
The Guardian London knife crime 11th October
BBC news reports on rise in knife crime 7th October
It’s an issue that the Banksy we know would tackle, in fact he/she/they did with a certain Union Jack stab vest, worn by a certain headlining grime artist at Glastonbury this year.
In a statement sent with ‘Kids with blades’ he explains that Michael Myers was a destructive young boy who continued killing as a man. That unless something changes more youths are going to be killed. He wants the issue to be discussed in schools and hopes his work could be used to help. He explained this has always been the drive behind his work. To produce art that raises awareness.
We were informed that ‘kids with blades’ was sent to national newspapers but no one was willing to publish it. This led to further discussions of how the press are being manipulated by ‘Team Banksy’ and aren’t interested in listening to his side of the story.
When we first received the art, our immediate thought was, hold on a minute, we recognise the hooded youth (as any Banksy fan would).
The powerful image sent us straight back to 2008, when The Cans Festival opened in the Leake Street Tunnel, Waterloo, London. This festival saw leading street artists decorating the tunnel with their masterpieces for the public to admire… including a huge imposing version of the hooded youth, signed off by Banksy.
Obviously we raised this point, asking was this one of his? Did he therefore produce the Leake Street version?
The reply was not only surprising, but continued to add more cloak and dagger to his version of events…
He stated that the blade carrying hoodie IS one of his. That he originally sprayed it many years ago in Bristol but ‘Team Banksy’ photographed the work and erased It. The art then reappeared at The Cans Festival created by someone else.
When hearing this we asked why anyone would go to those sorts of lengths. The idea of people lurking in the shadows, emerging to photograph his work, erasing it and disappearing again, seems a little extreme.
He responded by telling us how he studied at Goldsmiths College. That a now famous UK artist was also there at the same time and was part of a group that saw potential in his work. He went on to explain that because he refused to be controlled, they essentially forced him out and took over, stealing his ideas and creating new ones in his name.
It’s frustrating for us. We have always considered the idea that ‘Banksy’ might be a group of artists. Or that ‘Banksy’ now has a team of people to help. What we never considered is the idea that the original Banksy was literally pushed aside, but as we discussed in the previous article, when so much money is involved, who knows what people are willing to do.
It’s a head scratcher…
Here at CreativeFolk, we are still busy scratching our heads trying to figure it all out. Is the story plausible? Absolutely, but it’s such a story of injustice that it’s so hard to fathom.
Everything we’ve received or listened to so far is simply someone’s version of events and as much as it’s a compelling story, without concrete proof it makes it difficult for us all to believe.
We have to be honest, throughout the recent communications our opinions have literally flip-flopped from, this is crazy to holy-moly could this be true.
If there isn’t any evidence how does this person prove any of this? If he is the genuine article and ‘Team Banksy’ with all their power and wealth do exist, how can he compete. It almost feels like a David and Goliath situation…
…but then again, we all know how that story ended.
We’d love to know what your thoughts are.
Do you believe he could be the original Banksy?
If you have time, leave a comment below.
Sorry to say that this ‘Banksy’ is well known for all the wrong reasons, where he lives in Devon. At best he’s clinically deluded and at worst a con man. I suspect this is an attempt to increase the value of his own work.
Hi Lammy,
Thanks for sharing your opinion, and it’s an opinion that continues to cross our minds. In the articles we’ve written, we have tried to write them in a non-biased open way, simply laying out the facts as we are still very confused as to what the truth is but your opinion is certainly one we have considered.