On Reuters' Banksy investigation

 

Totally trivial with the current state of the world, but as a once-Bristol-historian, I just have to mention this:

Journalists at Reuters claim to have unmasked Banksy, the anonymous graffiti artist who has long ruled the U.K. art scene with politically provocative murals.

His name, they say, is... Robin Gunningham.

Which... well, his best friends (and as they told me, myself too) always knew that in Bristol, but who was listening?

In my book, it's page 128:

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Reuters says he recently changed his name to David Jones, at most a few years ago. 

"Whether he still uses that name is unclear", the investigation reports.

Details:

The publication makes a host of arguments as to why Gunningham is Banksy, backing up a 2008 report from The Mail on Sunday that also claimed Gunningham is Banksy. 

Led by reporters Simon Gardner, James Pearson and Blake Morrison, it details a complex and extensive hunt for Banksy’s real name.

From New York to London, the so-called investigation pulled its key piece information from a trip to Ukraine: Reuters says Bansky was photographed in November 2022, meeting with locals. 

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I remember when Robert posted photos on Instagram from his trip to Ukraine with Giles Duley. He posted in Feb. 2023, and I assumed he was there then... But he told me he had delayed publication in order to "avoid confusion with the Banksy trip". 

Indeed.

Well, confusion, as usual, not avoided...

The state of journalism...

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Aftermath:

Banksy’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, apparently wrote to Reuters that his client “does not accept that many of the details contained within [the] enquiry are correct.”

 Stephens also told the outlet that publishing their findings “violate(s) the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger,” as well as harm the public.

 “Working anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests,” he wrote. “It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution.”

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For more, a few links in my previous writing:

Banksy is it 3D from Massive Attack? The informed advice of a specialist

Bristol’s original graffiti artists — Reader’s Digest

Bristol Street Art History: Forty Years of Graffiti Arts - Where It All Began

ON BANKSY, MASSIVE ATTACK AND BRISTOL - IN CONVERSATION WITH MELISSA CHEMAM

What Underground Culture Has Given Bristol

Interview: The Story of Massive Attack and Bristol's Underground Culture

Bristol History Podcast - Episode 34 - Melissa Chemam in Conversation