Comments on: Banksy in Melbourne

By: John

John — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:32:33 +0000

Pubilc vs Private? What are you referring to? Countless entrepreneurs have successfully inundated the ‘i went to a private school; superiority complex’ and challenged the status quo. ie. college drop out Steve Jobs. Keep living your narrow minded life and watch all the Genius in this world evolve, private or public educated.

By: Deep Sea

Deep Sea — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:48:19 +0000

I’ve just looked into Banksy again and saw this photo of the guy at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1034538/Graffiti-artist-Banksy-unmasked—public-schoolboy-middle-class-suburbia.html
This is definitely him.. Robin Gunningham! he uses the name robin banks in public. Doesn’t surprise me that he has a public schoolboy (non state school) upbringing.

By: Deep Sea

Deep Sea — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:23:13 +0000

Hi Mark, I’m a UK artist who’s recently moved to Melbourne. I find your articles on the Melbourne street art scene very insightful however I don’t think Banksy deserves the time of day here.
In 2003 I sublet a run down warehouse to him for his Turf War exhibition in London. Here I got to know first hand how his PR machine (Pictures of Walls – POW) works. His team had arranged for a so called Animal Rights protestor to chain herself to an animal pen (Banksy had sprayed painted some sheep they had hired). They called in the press association so that they would arrive on the scene as it happened. The next day the news was in all the newspapers.
I witnessed Banksy and his promotor selling his art works to Japanese businessmen. The show was sponsored by Puma (I got some free trainers out of them). This was not an act of a so called anti capitalist/ anti corporate street artist.
I have just found this online at http://www.spacehijackers.co.uk/html/projects/banksy/burner.html
Banksy knows all about the sponsorship and selling of his art works to corporates, his best friend owns POW so presumably Banksy is on their payroll.
WIth the artwork itself, we cannot ignore the rip offs from the work of Blek Le Rat. Although Banksy’s does add some of his own originality to these, I would say that generally Banksy is a con artist who has worked his way to the top of the street art scene by careful manipulation.

By: Mark Holsworth

Mark Holsworth — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:19:39 +0000

I’m not that familiar with the back streets of Prahran but I know that there are a few rats in there.

By: smb

smb — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:51:28 +0000

I am curious to locate the other little divers that are in the back streets of prahran.
smb

By: Nemski

Nemski — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:15:49 +0000

Fuck Banksy, I don’t care what people think, his art is gay and I think we can stand to lose it

By: Mark Holsworth

Mark Holsworth — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 09:12:32 +0000

Finally someone comes forward. Can you give any more details? How you meet up? What else did you do together?

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:11:38 +0000

I actually spent some time with Banksy when he was here and did a couple of pieces with him.

By: Alison Young

Alison Young — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:18:09 +0000

Hi Mark, great post – really excellent to read an account about Banksy’s visit here all those years ago, and thanks for the shout-out.
Best, Alison

By: Mark Holsworth

Mark Holsworth — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:25:07 +0000

Thanks CDH for doing that follow up research. The original photo of Alex in the original blog entry didn’t look right with a paint brush in his hand in front of an aerosol painted wall.