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Bansky Identified? Does It Matter?
Photo by xxjetlab via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
A week ago Sunday, the London paper, Mail on Sunday, revealed "compelling evidence suggesting" the identity of the famous and anonymous street artist, Banksy, as Robin Gunningham. To date Gunningham nor Banksy's agent or spokesperson, have not confirmed this. And a note from Banksy's on his website says "anyone described as 'good at drawing' doesn't sound like Banksy to me."
Banksy frequented Los Angeles and even held a popular art show (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt bought some of his art) and people are continually asking if Banksy's art is now devalued with his mysteriousness gone, even if the Mail's claim is not 100% confirmed.
If true, sure, the fun of the mystery is gone, but hold your horses on nay-saying the art itself--the societal and political statements made and the magic of when and where it appears are also a part of the success of Banksy, if not more (even once at Disneyland).
And with that, we hope that he, whoever he is, whether he is Gunningham or not, continues to visit Los Angeles to delight us with his art.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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