Digital Media Concepts/Banksy

Banksy (born around 1974) is an anonymous British artist, most famous for his street artwork and social commentaries. Banksy’s reoccurring topics involve his insights into various political matters, and generally highlight a wide array of critiques on modern-day society. After spending some time painting street graffiti, Banksy began to shift his focus onto painting stencil-work throughout his hometown near Bristol (a city located in South-West England) to progress his infamous art-style that is recognized by many today. Utilizing paint-and-stencil techniques, Banksy’s artwork frequently interacts with the environment it is placed in, allowing for a unique method of presentation for the 2-D illustrations.

Banksy's identity remains anonymous

The Legacy

An example of artwork

Banksy's first art-show, Existencilism (2002), opened in Los Angeles at the 33 1/3 Gallery.

The following years were filled with a motley of Banksy art exhibitions covering several topics and oddities, one of which included an art exhibition titled Turf War (2003). Turf war caught media attention due to an animal-rights activist who chained herself to a nearby railing structure in response to the display of painted animals at the art show.

Disregarding the obstacles in presenting his exhibitions, Banksy's first big break occured when American singer and songwriter Christina Aguilera bought an original copy and two prints of Banksy's "Queen Victoria Lesbian" art piece, which sold for $32,603.63 USD. From this publicity and funding, Banksy was able to continue to sell many valued pieces shortly after the singer's notable purchase. One particularly successful painting involved an illustration of Kate Moss, and sold for over five times the auction's expected value.

Through his series of art-shows, Banksy is accredited with single-handedly creating mainstream interest into street-art and the stenciling art style. This widespread global influence began cultivating around 2006, and is dubbed as The Banksy Effect (a term used to describe the sudden shift of public appeal towards street-art). Made during the height of the his era, several of Banksy's artwork is also featured in the 2006 film, Children of Men (based on the novel published in 1992).

Banksy found consistent success throughout his career, especially after producing his noteworthy motion picture, Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010). After gaining traction, this film then went on to be nominated for the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Although the film did not win the nomination, it was approved to air on British public television on August 13, 2011.

One of Banksy's largest artistic installations was a project entitled Dismaland (opened August 21, 2015), which featured a "demusement-park" setting based on a parody of Walt Disney's Disneyland. Officially closed on September 27, 2015, Dismaland's park attracted a total of over 150,000 paying visitors by the end of it's week-long premiere.

Banksy has solidified his place in history as one of the most prominent artists of the 21st century, and has created a legacy out of clever witticisms and multimedia images.

Awards and Nominations

18th Annual Webby Person-of-the-year Award

2010 WAFCA Award

2010 ICP Award

2010 LAFCA 2nd Place

2010 CFCA nominee

2011 Cinema Eye Honors Award

2011 TFCA Award

2011 Independent Spirit Award

2011 Chlotrudis Award nominee

2011 International Jury Award nominee

2011 Oscar Best Documentary Feature nominee

2011 Critics Choice Award nominee

2011 BAFTA nominee