儘管班克斯的身分仍然是個謎,但這位出生於布里斯托的藝術家具有挑釁性的塗鴉創作是當世最具代表性和最家喻戶曉的圖像之一。受到Bleck le Rat等街頭藝術先鋒人物的影響,班克斯在1990年代初期便開始在布里斯托的塗鴉圈中嶄露頭角,不斷「轟炸」該市的建築牆面。如今,從巴黎到紐約,他那一眼就能辨識的作品已經征服了全世界許多城市的街道和建築。除了街頭干預形式的藝術,班克斯創作於工作室的作品同樣備受讚譽,包括他在2021年創下1850萬英鎊(2540 萬美元)拍賣紀錄的作品、奧斯卡獎提名的紀錄片(2010年)、一家反烏托邦式的酒店(位於伯利恆的《圍牆酒店》),以及名為《迪士馬樂園》的快閃「憂鬱園」(2015年)。
Anonymous street artist Banksy first turned to graffiti as a miserable fourteen year old disillusioned with school. Inspired by the thriving graffiti community in his home city, Bristol, Banksy's works began appearing on trains and walls in 1993, and by 2001 his blocky, spray-painted works had cropped up all over the United Kingdom. Typically crafting his images with spray paint and cardboard stencils, Banksy is able to achieve a meticulous level of detail. His aesthetic is clean and instantly readable due to his knack for reducing complex political and social statements to simple visual elements.
His graffiti, paintings and screenprints use whimsy and humour to satirically critique war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed — with not even the Royal family safe from his anti-establishment wit.