Banksy

Banksy
Banksy art on Brick Lane, East End of London, 2004
Born	Bristol, England[1]
Known for	Street art
Website	banksy.co.uk pestcontroloffice.com

Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation.^[2] Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world.^[3] His work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians.^[4] Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.^[5]

Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces. He no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall on which they were painted.^[6] Much of his work can be classified as temporary art.^[7] A small number of his works are officially, non-publicly, sold through an agency he created called Pest Control.^[8] Banksy's documentary film Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.^[9] In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film.^[10] In 2014, he was awarded Person of the Year at the 2014 Webby Awards.^[11]