Banksy’s identity: Elusive artist reveals his name in resurfaced interview

globalnews.ca:

Banksy, who first captured attention in the early 2000s with his politically charged graffiti.Now, more than two decades after he rose to fame, fans might have an answer.In a lost BBC interview from 2003, which resurfaced this week, Bansky was asked by a reporter if his real name is “Robert Banks.”The artist, who would have been in his 20s at the time, simply relied, “It’s Robbie.”Banksy’s identity has never been formally revealed, and interviews with the enigmatic artist are rare.An edited version of the BBC interview aired in 2003 and provided the unusual opportunity to hear Banksy’s voice. Parts of the interview, including confirmation of Banksy’s first name, were cut and unaired.BBC reporter Nigel Wrench recently unearthed the full Banksy interview from a minidisc in his house.

The interview was reshared as a bonus clip for the podcast series The Banksy Story, which chronicles the secretive artist’s launch to icon status.In the 2003 interview, Banksy also defended the use of vandalism in his art. As a graffiti artist, most of Banksy’s work uses public structures or private property as his canvas, often without authorization.Banksy refused to apologize for the vandalism.“It’s a quicker way of making your point, right?” he defended.

“In the same way my mother used to cook Sunday roast every Sunday and says every Sunday, ‘It takes hours to make it, minutes to eat.'”The artist said he uses a microwave-inspired approach in his work, where he aims to quickly “get it done and dusted.”“Other people, they can change it. They can get rid of it,” he said, describing the cyclical nature of graffiti.