The true identity of Banksy has been a mystery for decades, but the internationally-known street artist appears to have confirmed his real name during a BBC interview some 20 years ago.
BBC Radio 4’s The Banksy Story has released a bonus episode with a recording of an in-person interview with the artist, not heard since 2003 and airing in full for the first time.
During the interview, which was presented by former BBC arts correspondent Nigel Wrench, the cultural icon discusses his 2003 Turf War show as it was being installed in an east London warehouse. The show had Banksy’s signature anti-authority themes, featuring graffitied police vans, the now iconic image of Winston Churchill with a grass Mohican and live farm animals with the Met Police’s blue-checked patterns painted all over them, Bristol Live reports.
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One of the biggest moments of the interview was when Nigel asked Banksy if he could use his real name. Below is their conversation:
Nigel: Are you happy for me to use your name? I mean, The Independent has.
Banksy: Yeah.
Nigel: Is it Robert Banks?
Banksy : It's Robbie.
Nigel: Robbie. Okay. Robbie.
The admission leaves the door open for Banksy to be several people including Robert Del Naja, also known as 3D, the artist and Massive Attack musician. Robbie could also be a nickname for Robin Gunningham - who was born on July 28, 1973 in Yate, near Bristol.
Gunningham grew up in Easton and went to Bristol Cathedral School. The story goes that Gunningham started going by the name Robin Banks, which went on to become Banksy.
On whether vandalism is art, Banksy says he wants to make art that takes less time to make than it does for people to look at it. He said: “It's a quicker way of making your point, right? Like, in the same way my mother used to cook Sunday roast every Sunday and say "it takes hours to make it and minutes to eat".
And these days she eats microwave meals for one and seems a lot happier, I'm kind of taking that approach to art really. I want to get it done and dusted. You know, for me the golden aim really is... for it to take you less time to make it than it takes people to look at it.”
When asked about the modern art establishment as many of them might be attending the show that evening, Banksy says he would never knowingly sell anything to Charles Saatchi and still blamed him for Margaret Thatcher. He also said the "Brit Art thing" wasn’t something that interested him.
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