In March, “science” aka geographical profiling looked like it had finally cracked the identityof illusive street art superstar Banksy. At the time, a study from Queen Mary University of London concluded that Banksy was probably Bristol’s Robin Gunningham. Using a mathematical technique developed in criminology they matched the movements of Robin with the occurrence of Banksy pieces around the world.
But now a new, equally impressive, theory has surfaced. Investigative journalist Craig Williams made his own effort to plot the locations of international Banksy works, and realised that over the past 12 years more than a dozen pieces have popped up in cities where Massive Attack gigs were being held. An extensive rundown of his research and findings can be found on his blog if you care to pick over it for yourself.
He has suggested that of the band’s members, it’s probably Robert Del Naja, also called 3D, who was a graffiti artist in the 1980s. 3D has denied the claims, but does admit he is friends with the mysterious artist, which could explain why they were so frequently in the same city. Banksy even provided the foreword to a book about the art of Massive Attack last year, and 3D appeared in Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop. In an interview with artist Shepard Fairy he even credits 3D with being one of the first graffiti artists he ever came across growing up in a small city in southern England.
Whatever their association, with the band scheduled to play in Bristol this weekend locals are undoubtedly keeping their eyes peeled for any notable new street art.
Although the journalist is personally convinced that 3D is behind at least a handful of Banksy’s pieces, he sees it as part of a wider theory that Banksy is in fact several people creating similar themed work around the world. Which obviously leads us to the eternal philosophical question of our time, guys, what if we’re all Banksy? What if there is a little bit of Banksy in all of us? Okay, probably not, but no doubt a bunch of people are.
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Images via Wikipedia Commons