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by throwaway_isms 1891 days ago
Its just marketing...Banksy isn't just some anonymous street artist, its a well funded art studio. And they Banksy style itself was ripped a guerilla artist Blek le Rat...hence the use of Rats in Banksy works.

Society never really reacted to Blek Le Rat because he was a legit guerilla artist and as such his work remained unknown. Whereas the well funded art studio behind Banksy work mass marketed his art, it just so happens the marketing strategy was that of an anonymous street artist. Yet in reality his work was often shown and sold in galleries catering to the rich and celebrity types reinforcing its "value", now the studio even sells the work direct through auctions houses, it is anything but an organic reaction by society.

1 comments

I'm definitely willing to entertain the notion that "Banksy" is actually a collective "pen name" like Nicolas Bourbaki.

If I follow... The self professed answer in their FAQ that Banksy is inspired by 3D from Massive Attack is actually just fabrication, the true inspiration is hidden in the artwork. Which definitely fits with the kind of artist that I can see participating in such a pseudo-anonymous collective effort... But it's definitely far from being proof...

Id love to hear more if you have anything else to back up the theory!