Banksy Unmasked !

In what is quite possibly the biggest mystery of Modern Times, someone recently solved the identity (um, kind of…) of the street artist known as Banksy. My initial thought was “Yeah, and…. so what? Who cares?” After a week and a half and doing some reading, my current thought is “Yeah, and…. so what? Who cares?” Did you even notice? With the exception of some of the Art Market nerds, nobody gives a shit. I don’t give a shit. It doesn’t change a damn thing. I could form the argument that it actually only serves to devalue the art. People enjoy a good mystery. You know, the “mystique” as some fancily dressed French Women exclaimed one night as they came across Eddie Colla and I doing our thing on the streets of Paris. Although, they said it in French, so it sounded more like “luh misteeekuh”. You have to appreciate a good French accent as much as the French appreciate some good street art.

So for real, what does this solve exactly? Who was even asking for Banksy to be unmasked. The British Government and local authorities don’t care. They would have arrested him a long time ago if they did. They knew his identity and where to find him if they really wanted to. There are cameras everywhere in Britain. Truth is he is good for tourism and art sales. At this point, Banksy is a national treasure and enjoys the privilege of “vandalizing” Britain with zero legal recourse. Case in point, his most recent street piece from September that was enacted upon the Royal Courts of Justice Building in London. He is still freely roaming the streets today despite the “outrage” of local officials.

The mystery of Banksy was good for everyone. Art Markets, Artists, Tourists, the cities he left artwork in, etc. Common people debated who he really was. The rumors abounded for years, He is a member of the Gorillaz, or Massive Attack. Some thought he was Mr. Brainwash (who IMO is just a wannabe street artist wanker simply riding Banksy’s coat tails). People liked to imagine that he was a dashing, handsome young man. Kind of a cross of David Beckham and Brad Pitt. The realization that he is just some ordinary, middle aged British Bloke who enjoys a pint at the corner pub is a bit of a let down. And yes, that is the cool thing about anonymity. He could still enjoy a pint at the pub without people treating him like some Hollywood celebrity. Like Banksy said, “anonymity is a super power.” And I agree fully. The funny thing about the anonymity was it began to keep him safe from authorities but as his aura grew over the years, it became more to keep him safe from the public and all his adoring fans. Especially the ones who pronounced his name “Bansky”.

In this age of constant surveillance, facial recognition, social media and AI, anonymity is priceless. I sure enjoy mine. So, back to this unmasking. Nice work by this Reuters reporter, but Banksy was steps ahead of this. He had legally changed his name to Davy Jones years ago. Davy Jones is the British equivalent of being named John Smith in the states. There are hundreds of them. So yes, while the reporter figured out his Government Name it was no longer his actual name. Oh, and that photo of him that is circulating, it’s not him. I guess this reporter has some more work to do . . . Actually, maybe put those sleuthing skills to good use and go find out who killed Tupac and Biggie, or go expose the pedo’s from Epstein island. Society will be better off for that.