Banksy

Banksy is graffiti artist of some notoriety from Bristol, UK. His (he is thought to be white and male) stencils have become popular throughout London, although he carefully manages to keep his real name from the mainstream media.

Banksy is a talented artist; he uses his original Street Art form to promote alternative aspects of politics from those promoted by the mainstream media. In doing so he helps provide a voice for the urban unheard, in a manner which improves the quality of their surroundings, and to which they can easily relate. This political purpose behind the so-called "Criminal Damage" is reminiscent of the Ad Jammers or subvertising movement, who deface corporate advertising to change the intended message and hijack the advert. Banksy does, however, also do paid work for charities (e.g., Greenpeace) and corporations like PUMA and MTV, as well as demanding up to £25,000 for canvases. This has led to his being accused of being a sellout and a careerist by other artists and activists.

In 2004 the Space Hijackers gave out spoof vouchers outside a Banksy exhibition to highlight the artist's ironic use of anti-capitalist and protest imagery while doing work for corporations and art galleries.