Famous street artist, Banksy, has always kept his identity under wraps—however, a rediscovered BBC interview clip from 2003 has revealed the anonymous artist’s name.
Banksy is a pseudonym so powerful that almost anyone who’s watched the news or dipped their toes in the world of contemporary art is at least somewhat familiar with it. The public knows the street artist best for his graffiti works, though he made headlines for shredding his work “Girl with Balloon” during a Sotheby’s auction in 2018. A part of the artist’s appeal and intrigue is his identity, which he chooses not to officially use or reveal. However, a long-lost BBC interview from 2003 has changed things, offering fans a glimpse of his real name.
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It’s Robbie
Many have tried to guess Banksy’s identity, with some speculating that he’s Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett or Massive Attack co-founder Robert Del Naja, reports Carita Rizzo for the Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, The Guardian‘s Tim Jonze adds that the artist could be Robin Gunningham, a former public schoolboy—however, Banksy had reportedly denied this.
The long-lost snippet comes from an exchange between a 20-year-old Banksy and former BBC reporter Nigel Wrench. At the time, the young artist was preparing to open his Turf War show in east London during the summer of 2003, as per Noor Nanji of the BBC. Nanji writes of the exchange, stating that Wrench asked the creative if his name is Robert Banks, to which Banksy replied: “It’s Robbie.”
Though he doesn’t go into much detail about his identity afterwards, the interview is the first instance where the public gets to hear the artist’s voice, according to Nanji. During the talk, Banksy also discusses his fast-paced process of making anonymous street art and the liberating aspects of vandalism as a medium.
“I’m not here to apologize for it,” he told Wrench in the interview, as per The Guardian’s Tim Jonze. “It’s a quicker way of making your point, right? Go out! Trash things! Have fun! Other people, they can change it. They can get rid of it.”
Digging Up the Past
One can listen to the 2003 interview through BBC Sounds’ website, as it was included in a podcast series called The Banksy Story.
Nanji wrote that the BBC hadn’t initially included the snippet where the anonymous artist reveals his first name. It was the interviewer himself, Nigel Wrench, who revisited the entire recording to listen and reveal what the young Banksy had told him, according to Carita Rizzo of the Rolling Stone. However, Rizzo writes that on November 21, the BBC finally added a bonus episode that includes the special snippet, aptly titled “The Lost Banksy Interview.”
Though the audio series offers an exciting new look at the famous contemporary artist, it still doesn’t reveal much information about the artist’s true identity beyond the first name hint. David Moriquand of Euronews goes as far as to postulate that “Robbie Banks” may still not be his real name, given Banksy’s affinity for tricks and how highly he prizes his anonymity.
Surely, it can’t be that simple—or perhaps it is. Yet Banksy wouldn’t be Banksy without the mask, so perhaps it’s best for this well-guarded secret to remain one for as long as the artist keeps creating thought-provoking work.
Banner photo via Instagram @banksy.
