It is believed that Banksy is originally from Yate in South Gloucestershire, close to Bristol. It is also thought that he was born around 1974 and became involved in the rising popularity of graffiti art in the 1980s. Between 1992 and 1994, Banksy was a part of the DryBreadZ Crew.
Banksy’s work is very often a satirical look at modern life, consumerism and politics. His stenciling style recalls the work of Blek le Rat, who started graffiti work in Paris in 1981. It is also similar in its style and ethos to the work of the anarcho punk band Crass, who staged a long-term stencil campaign on the London Underground in the 1970s and ’80s. Since the meteoric rise in the value of Banksy’s work, it has been known for art auctioneers to sell his street graffiti on location and then leave the removal of the work in the hands of the person who purchased it. In July 2009, two people discovered one of Banksy’s Gansta Rats graffitied in Whitechapel in East London.
