The bonding between Banksy and graffiti or/and street art is not to be denied, particularly where The Bristol graffiti movement and industry is involved. His popularity and success today is due to his symbolic graffiti, portraits and also his true identity which remains a well-kept secret from the public. Even after 20 plus years of producing attention-grabbing graffiti and art, his identity including his actual looks and name is still a huge mystery. Banksy Graffiti is an excellent choice for both art collectors and investors with the majority of the artist's works superior high prices. Still, there is huge controversy surrounding the artist and the question everyone asks "Banksy Graffiti - Is It Art or Vandalism?'
There is a strong connection between Banksy and Bristol graffiti with the two entities being identical to each other. The location of Banksy's work gives it a graffiti feeling. His pieces of art are on topics such as politics, ehtics and culture.
Banksy was born in 1974 and his real name is to be reported as Robert or Robin Banks. Banksy, himself, states on his website, "I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy, but anyone described as being 'good at drawing' doesn't sound like me."
He started as a freehand graffiti artist (1992–1994) as one of Bristol's DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ). He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stencilling after realising how much less time it took to complete a piece. Banksy was said to be hiding from the police under a train carriage when he noticed the stenciling serial number and by employing this technique, Bristol and London soon noticed him for his art around the place. A quote from Banksy about his stenciling quotes, "I use whatever it takes. Sometimes that just means drawing a moustache on a girl's face on some billboard, sometimes that means sweating for days over an intricate drawing. Efficiency is the key." Banksy's stencils mark outstanding and humorous images, sometimes combined with slogans. The message his artwork portrays is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment. Subjects often include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly. For example, the first image (above) Stencil on the waterline of The Thekla, an entertainment boat in central Bristol, the image of Death is based on a 19th century etching illustrating the pestilence of The Great Sink.
In relation to consumerism Banksy's work appears to have accumulated quite a fortune, with his work being shown in famous galleries around the world and purchased by collectors at astonishing prices. People who own Banksy pieces as parts of walls or as individual objects and drawing have been able to sell them for hundreds of thousands of dollars to famous collectors including Brat Pitt.
Banksy's work is located in many other locations such as New York, Berlin, Melbourne and the likes. These graffiti locations are acknowledged as tourist attractions with huge potential in them. Banky's work is appreciated by some and is acknowledged as artwork and others still see it as graffiti. The locations he chooses influences very much that his work is graffiti but for Banksy this may be because he wants his artwork to be seen as many people see these locations. There are many differing opinions.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy#cite_note-NYBanksyWasHere-5
http://weburbanist.com/2008/09/07/banksy-art-and-graffiti-the-ultimate-guide/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Banksy-Graffiti---Is-it-Art-Or-Vandalism?&id=4190981
