Gawker
Banksy: millionaire street artist, fierce cultural critic, celebrity darling of the art world. The man's prestige has been immeasurably enhanced by his anonymity. He insists on it, and it gives him an air of mystery that only increases his allure to the media, fans, and collectors alike. An alleged photo of him was widely circulated last year, but it certainly didn't result in his real name being printed in his omnipresent media coverage. Those in his inner circle insist on strict concealment of his identity. Theories, of course, abound. But today, Bucky Turco at Animal NY believes he's stumbled upon Banksy's true identity. Combined with some corroborating evidence we got ourselves, the case is plausible—though far from proven. Now this would be big news:
This morning, we got a tip about a sighting of Banksy painting on the side of Thunder Jacksons in NYC. Bucky Turco went and took pictures of the work. Shortly afterwards, Gothamist and others proclaimed that the piece was in fact by Nick Walker(pictured)—another well known stencil artist from Bristol, England.
Well.
The piece at Thunder Jacksons is by Nick Walker. You can see the theme in his own photos on Flickr. Our own original tipster wrote in to say, "I stand corrected. It wasn't Banksy - it was Nick Walker...the pics of the artwork show a signature that happens to be Nick Walker's. Youtube has some videos of Nick Walker working and he is the guy who was at TJ's last night."
But, asked for more information, the same tipster added this: "While he was outside doing his stencil sombody asked if he was banksy and he said he was."
Nick Walker said he was Banksy. [This is also corroborated by Gawker commenter chickenjungle, a.k.a. Abbe Diaz, here. She says she was at Thunder Jacksons last night and heard Walker say the same thing]. With that in mind, allow us to quote liberally from Bucky Turco's just-posted item at Animal NY:
According to a waitress at the newly stenciled Thunder Jackson restaurant, who witnessed Banksy painting the wall last night, "the whole thing took him about 15 minutes." When asked if she was positive it was Banksy, she emphatically stated "yes," and then awkwardly added, "Banksy is Nick Walker, they are the same person. Oops, I don't think I was supposed to say that." When pressed on why Banksy would use different names, she spilled, "He uses that identity because of visa and passport issues." The waitress added that Banksy is going to make a big announcement about his identity but not while he's in town, "He has a whole master PR plan, but he's waiting till he leaves the country."
Wow. If true.
Walker is often described as a predecessor, friend, and/ or rival of Banksy, and has certainly benefited from Banksy's publicity himself. He told Bloomberg last month:
Walker said that he had got know Banksy in Bristol, western England, in the late 1990s when he was invited to be part of the ``Walls on Fire'' group of graffiti artists.``We don't talk too much now,'' he said.
Now let's run through the case against this theory. It started with an unsolicited tip. It has only a handful of sources. Theoretically, any of them could be lying, exaggerating, or misinformed. But it's worth noting that none of them have any readily apparent reason for making any of this up. We'd be happy to hear some art experts weigh in on Nick Walker vs. Banksy from a technical angle; but the similarities in their styles are obvious and unmistakable.
So, smart people: is Nick Walker Banksy?
Comments
Let's consult Foucualt.
Hm. Interesting. Well, that about does it.
The author is dead. So it doesn't matter who Banksy is or is not.
I haven't felt this alive since Primary Colors.
Brilliant. He says he's Banksy but in fact he's Thomas Pynchon.
"Master PR plan" = Announcement of Chase Manhattan's sponsorship of future Banksy works at all 42,000 Chase ATM's in the NYC area.
@Bell County: The book or the movie?
Playing Banksy in the movie: Clint Howard.
[z.about.com]
I'm forgainst it.
Whatever, he was great in Chasing Amy.
Yes. I have a friend who works at Brooklyn Industries and she says Nick Walker just bought a solid gold hoodie. He paid in cash with euros.
@PickleTitsTurner: If the author is dead, I have a wall full of stenciled graffiti to sell you.
Wait, "stencil artist." Dear god, it's over. I'm going over to Al-Masjid to convert
so banksy takes a day to figure out.
fake nick denton remains unsolved.
sigh.
@mitchel_stevens: Blakeley. That seems to be working for me today.
Maybe Banksy is like a Dread Pirate Roberts thing? Or maybe he's Blakeley?
I smell a rat.
@mitchel_stevens: @Conbon: I think it's a collaborative project. They're all in on it.
"While he was outside doing his stencil sombody asked if he was banksy and he said he was."
I somehow don't think, after all these years of secrecy, that Banksy would be so blasé.
Banksey is obviously Scrooge McDuck. He uses the name when he want to slum it when he doesn't feel like swimming in his vault or going on fantastic adventures with his triplet newphews.
@Conbon: I agree. At least that post about SM/Nick D seems so.
@Bell County: Also possible.
You guys. I am Grandma Moses. I just wanted to let you know before some waitress blew it up in the Times.
But Grandma Moses died in 1961, at the age of 101, you say.
You say.
@hortense: Damn, you look good for... 148!
banksy? more like downsy.
meh.
@PickleTitsTurner: the artworld begs to differ
Well whoever the guy is, he should probably take care of that awkard neck problem.
I am banksy. and robert paulson. isn't that the point? no? oh, ok.
yeah the corner of Bleeker and Sullivan is such a buzzkiller
@hortense: How do you find time to play over here and still hold everything together at Jezebel? Very impressive.
paul bettany?
@PickleTitsTurner: I believe that idea comes from Barthes.
There's definitely no way he would give his identity up by just telling some random person on the street. Walker's probably aware it will get him some extra publicity, or was just too embarrassed/annoyed to explain his real identity.
After we resolve this, please get started on revealing who Deep Throat is, Hamilton. My eighth grade term paper wants to know.
@lowbrown: Thank you for your contribution. You are dead. Idiot.
@DonPardoCalrissian:
Pounds more like.
@Conbon: @Bell County:
actually, the rumor that i heard (i.e. will start out of boredom at 4:07 today) is that fake nick denton is closer to blakely than we think.
Banksy has got to be a team of people. If its one guy, at the very least he has a team of people helping him. "His" identity can't be revealed because he is a them.
Duh duh duh.
Why would the waitress at Thunder Jackson's know Banksy's master PR plan? Why are you believing everything this waitress says? I tell a lot of stories at bars, I bet Nick Walker does too.
Somebody once told me I looked like a cross between Nicole Kidman and Kim Novak, and I responded "That's because I am".
@tazo: Sterling is deader than art.
if Gwynneth Paltrow can be Africa
i am Banksy
go ahead and prove me wrong
What if Banksy is a collective of two or more persons?
I know two people who claimed to have worked with Banksy in Europe in the early 2000s. Just asked both about the Bansky/Nick Walker thing. One said they absolutely are the person, other said they absolutely aren't. So either one or both of my friends is full of shit or maybe "Banksy" isn't so much an individual person as a handle used interchangeably by multiple artists. After all, at least some "Banksy" works have been collaborative, so why not allow everyone in on the project to call themselves Banksy while they're doing Banksy-ish work? Or am I just totally overthinking this?
*absolutely are the SAME person.
Sorry, I tend to have a lot of typos when I'm being pretentious & overly theoretical.
@UnreliableNarrator:
the only thing that leaves me unsettled on the collaboration thing is that i can't believe there wouldn't have been some sort of legal dispute by now regarding the division of assets/income.
Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn!
maybe this is all just a big joke he is playing on various people. maybe he did tell the waitress to say that, just as a joke. why would a waitress know, and not people close to nick walker? ugggh...
@UnreliableNarrator: this theory delights me.
One unmasked, Bloomberg will arrest him for public nuisance.
*once
@EuroDad: That's a good point, and I don't know enough about how one finances illegal guerrilla art and merchandising/printmaking thereof to speculate on how profits would be allocated among multiple pseudonymous collaborators.
Did I just invent postmodern accounting?
@UnreliableNarrator:
Exactly
@UnreliableNarrator:
The outdoor and other guerrilla stuff doesn't bring in any money. The print stuff seems to be sold through a very limited number of channels (a gallery and an online print store?). Either of those could easily pay proceeds to a corporate entity. Once the money is in there, divide it up like any other company.
Wait. Banksy's white?
@tomford: You’re right—it is Barthes. This is the second time I’ve noticed that mix-up in this forum.
It’s as though the correct attribution doesn’t matter to people liable to drop the names or ideas casually.
Perhaps it shouldn’t matter. After all, truth is nothing but a by-product of discourse, and, in any event, the author is dead.
If someone asked me if I was Banksy, of course I'd tell them yes. And then tell them not to tell anyone. And then tell everyone else I knew I was Banksy, and not to tell anyone. And then deny all of it vehemently in Artforum.
Then probably write a letter indicting my behavior and sign it, "Banksy." Then, just for the hell of it, steal a computerized wheelchair and spend a couple days being Stephen Hawking.
In short, maybe it's best that no one ask me if I'm Banksy.