On the Banksy trail
Globe and Mail, August 2008
Camera cocked and ready, I'm nosing around a grubby backstreet in Bristol, southwest England when I finally stumble on the faded object of my wide-eyed desire. Applied to an exterior pub wall, near a pair of aromatic garbage bags, it's a small, stenciled image of two kids skipping across a road. Each is carrying an automatic weapon.
This detailed, typically twisted take on childhood should be enough to identify its creator. But just in case there's any doubt, a blockish stenciled signature (or "tag") has also been applied. Even for those like me who know little about graffiti, you've probably heard that Banksy - a born and bred Bristolian with a penchant for combining whimsy, satire and anti-authoritarianism - is the world's most famous street artist.
Generating as much controversy as kudos in recent years - he painted "We're bored of fish" in giant letters inside London Zoo's penguin enclosure; stenciled ladders and windows on Israel's West Bank barrier; and added a copy of the Mona Lisa with a smiley face to a wall in the Louvre - Banksy's identity remains a closely-guarded secret. Since applying graffiti is usually illegal, this helps in eluding the authorities. But it's also created an aura of mystery that has made him even more famous.
Rumours say he might be in his 30s and is possibly named Robert Banks but what's known for sure is that he hails from Bristol. And while the historic dockyard city hasn't officially embraced him as a tourist attraction (not everyone is happy celebrating illegal activity) his works dot the town like an open-air art gallery. Intrigued, I've hopped aboard a 90-minute train service from London to hunt for some al fresco originals.
With little idea of where to look first, I meet with arguably the city's leading Banksyan expert for some insider tips. Arts editor of regional listings magazine Venue, Steve Wright's 2007 tome Banksy's Bristol: Home Sweet Home is an unofficial guidebook to the artist and his works. He happily fills me in on the local lad who made good, while shying away from questions about Banksy's identity and how well he might know him.
Referring to the artist's soaring international success and regular coverage in mainstream media, Wright notes that "Banksy's done more than anyone to push graffiti into being seen as an art form." He's also never forgotten his roots. "Although Banksy's famous now and hangs out more in London, he's still sharp and thought-provoking - and he still creates new works around Bristol."
Suggesting I should think like a graffiti artist and head down the side streets, Wright recommends exploring Stokes Croft and Easton, a couple of working-class neighbourhoods not far from the city centre. Eyes wide open, I hit the road.
With faded row houses and cracked sidewalks, Stokes Croft has seen better days. But its grey walls and derelict shops are enlivened by swathes of jaw-droppingly imaginative graffiti, along with a plethora of amateur scrawling. Only a small percentage of the works here are by Banksy and finding his tagged pieces takes time. After locating the children-with-guns creation on the side of the Full Moon pub, I'm soon hooked into a full-scale hunt.
Recalling a 1980 street riot in the area that was triggered by a bungled police raid, Mild Mild West on Stokes Croft Road is easy to find and it's one of Banksy's iconic works. Depicting a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at a phalanx of shielded policemen, Wright's book describes it as an alternative Welcome to Bristol sign on one of the city's main approach roads.
Continuing on the same thoroughfare until it becomes Cheltenham Road, I nip down a side street called Bath Buildings and find the Old England pub. Completely covering a parking lot wall is Take the Money and Run, one of Banksy's earliest surviving works. A collaboration with other artists, it's a kaleidoscopic abstract of swirling colours, stylized lettering and mysterious running figures.
Of course it's not all about Banksy here. According to Wright, other artist tags to look out for include Cheba and Mr Jago, each with their own fans and art appreciators. Happy to broaden my search, I find some grinning anthropomorphic pool balls on one hoarding and a chorus line of high-kicking Statues of Liberty on a derelict gas station.
After fully combing Stokes Croft, I weave back to the city centre to cover off three well-known Banksy hits. Heading to the waterfront, I quickly locate an untitled Grim Reaper depiction on the side of a large old boat called the Thekla. Now a floating nightclub, its ghostly interloper shimmers in the reflection of the water.
Next up, Park Street offers an easy-to-find and somewhat whimsical Banksy. Quickly applied behind a temporary construction hoarding, the large unnamed piece depicts a naked man hanging by his fingertips while his chagrined lover and her quizzical husband stand in the window above. When it was unveiled in 2006, some locals demanded its removal while most insisted it should stay.
A few minutes later, I come across the artist's most recent Bristol work. Overlooking a hospital on Perry Road, it shows a police marksmen pointing his gun at the street - while a child stands behind him ready to burst a paper bag. Illustrating typical Banksy themes of subverting authority and cheeky depictions of law enforcers, it makes me suddenly curious to meet the man behind the spray can.
With time to spare, I retrace my steps to Stokes Croft, and then continue into the heart of Banksy-ville. Easton is the artist's old stomping ground and he allegedly still has a base here - although, as I discovered, fiercely protective locals are reluctant to reveal exactly where it is.
Coloured by dramatic graffiti art, including a bucolic scene on a pedestrian underpass and several recurring angel figures, Easton is an otherwise drab neighborhood. I don't spot any obvious Banksy's, until I stumble on a tiny depiction of three policemen posed like the monkeys who see, speak and hear no evil.
Pleased with my find, I continue on to a pub on St. Mark's Road that Wright tells me is the kind of place where Banksy might hang out.
Brimming with noisy conversation, the Sugar Loaf is an old-school city watering hole with a dark wood bar, dinged tables and a clutch of working-class regulars. Heading straight to the bar, I chat with a local who seems inordinately curious about what I'm up to. Slowly sipping a pint of Easton Ale, the pub's main local brew, he rubs his chin philosophically when I ask if he's ever met Banksy.
"How do you know he's not me?" he replies with a twinkle in his eye. "Or maybe he's that bloke over there" he adds, nodding to a bearded pensioner hugging a beer in the corner.
It's a good point. Searching for Banksy in Bristol is a time-wasting wild goose chase. But searching for his work is a much more achievable and rewarding day out. Now where's the next one likely to be
If you go:
Bristol is a 90-minute train trip from London's Paddington Station. For general visitor information on the city, check www.visitbristol.co.uk.
Pick-up a copy of Banksy's Bristol: Home Sweet Home by Steve Wright for useful information on local Banksy artworks.
For an introduction to the artist and his work, visit Banksy's official website at www.banksy.co.uk.