Banksy identity: There's a wild theory the graffiti artist is 3D of Massive Attack
Perhaps the 'artist' is actually multiple 'artists'
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Your support makes all the difference.In 2008, a report claimed to know the identity of notorious street artist Banksy (spoilers: his name is reportedly Robin Gunningham).
Earlier this year, a scientific study analysed everything publically known about Banksy, eventually pointing to the same Bristol-based man. Yet, fo many, the jury is still out on Banksy's true identity.
Thanks to a long, detailed blog post by Craig Williams, picked up by Dazed, the identity of Banksy has again been questioned, the blogger concluding that the 'artist' may actually be a group of 'artists', masterminded by Massive Attack co-founder Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja.
Now this may seem slightly bonkers, but Williams reasons how Banksy artworks would constantly crop up in cities where the Bristol-based band were playing, citing various examples such as shows in Boston’s Chinatown, the Hollywood Bowl, and a 2013 New York gig.
The author also points out the entwined history Massive Attack and Banksy share. “When I was about 10 years old, a kid called 3D was painting the streets hard,” the artist wrote in the foreword of 3D & the Art of Massive Attack.
“3D quit painting and formed the band Massive Attack, which may have been a good thing for him, but was a big loss for the city.”
Vice-versa, 3D has previously called Banksy a close friend, appearing in his documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop.
Williams concludes: “Perhaps the assertion then that Banksy is just one person is wide of the mark, instead being a group who have, over the years, followed Massive Attack around and painted walls at their leisure.
“And perhaps, at the head of such a group we have Del Naja. A multi-disciplined artist in front of one the seminal groups in recent British music history, doubling up as the planet’s most revered street artist. Now that would be cool.”
You can read the full theory here. Recently, a Banksy artwork titled “Spy Booth” was destroyed, shattered to pieces due to building work.
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