He was probably born in Bristol, but other than that, little is known about the world-famous graffiti artist Banksy. Have you ever wondered how did he manage to spray his political artworks at so many public spaces without being caught? At least that we might now know! Evidence found near a recent Banksy painting appears to reveal how the anonymous street artist never gets spotted while at work.
Several street paintings on the east coast of England prompted suspicions that Banksy had taken a holiday to East Anglia. While he was at it, Banksy probably created a new tourist attraction of East Anglia by creating several magnificent art pieces. Later on Instagram, the artist proudly displayed the artwork to the world in a video titled A Great British Spraycation. The pieces of artwork are of multiple sizes, and some so big, people investigated how Banksy got away with it.
A TikToker, or a Sherlock?
Yes, Banksy gave some insight into his secret methods of not getting caught in his Instagram video. The video showed him arranging a beach windbreaker to conceal some of his work on a small wall. Still, such setup would not have been good enough for some of the larger pieces, such as that of a seagull painted on the side of a building.
TikTok channel Urban Art Club claims to have found evidence showing how Banksy hides while spraying bigger-scale artworks. Allegedly, the evidence was found on the scene in the form of a tie that can be used to hold tarpaulin to scaffolding. Banksy could put the ties through holes in tarpaulin before attaching them to the metal structures. Banksy thus created a cover around him while he worked. Passersby could then mistake him with a construction worker.
At Other Times, It’s a Costume!
How did Banksy hide at those other public spaces, e.g., the tube or even a museum? Well, from Bansky’s videos, we might notice he always dresses accordingly to fit in. In 2005, the infamous graffiti artist covertly installed his artwork in four of New York’s major art museums: The Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Natural History. Wearing a costume of an old art collector, no one spotted him. Watch Banksy’s museum visit here.
In 2020, Banksy painted his piece If You Don’t Mask, You Don’t Get inside a Circle Line service carriage in London. Yet, Banksy came and left unnoticed because he was dressed as a cleaner.
Bansky never had a reason to worry about a place for his artwork; he used public transportation, a model village, or public buildings. Active since the 1990s, one starts to admire his skill to stay anonymous for so many years!
