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Banksy, Flying Copper, 2003.
Screen-print in colours on wove paper. Edition of 750 (150 signed, 600 unsigned).
© Banksy. -
THE MOST CELEBRATED CREATIVE FUGITIVE SINCE CARRAVAGIO
"There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place."
- Banksy
In 1992, two young men in Bristol, Shaun Starr and Keith Buck, were killed by a Police officer chasing them for theft of a motorbike. The event provoked three nights of bloody riots, where gangs of angry locals launched bricks at police and torched local shops. One rioter would later recount ‘It was people saying, we are here. We are not forgotten. And we’re pissed off. And you’d better take notice of us’. Somebody took a lot of notice – the very young Banksy, who vowed to immortalise the riots ‘in a great and furious’ work of art. After grafting night and day, the artist felt ready to unveil his masterpiece for what was maybe the most shaping critical review of his career – from his Mum. To his disappointment, she responded ‘Why can’t you draw something nice? Like flowers?'. Raging, the aspiring genius stormed back to his lair of a bedroom, and from there, his artistic evolution continued. -
"Sometimes I get credited with moving graffiti in a new direction - the wrong one"
- Banksy
From the very start, Banksy’s work has carried a strong political charge. His stencils were never just about style, but about making a point. Drawing on the traditions of satire and protest, he used the street as his gallery to confront issues like war, capitalism, surveillance and inequality. What set him apart was his ability to take complex political ideas and strip them down into sharp, simple images that anyone could understand at a glance. Whether it was a child holding a balloon, a protester throwing flowers, or a rat scurrying across a wall, his works became both a critique of power and a rallying cry for ordinary people. By turning public space into a stage for political commentary, Banksy ensured that his art was not just seen, but felt in the middle of daily life. -
BIOGRAPHY
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EXHIBITIONS AND PRANKS