Banksy is a pseudonymous British graffiti artist. He is believed to be
a native of Yate, South Gloucestershire, near Bristol and to have
been born in 1974, but his identity is unknown. According to Tristan Manco,
Banksy "was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England".

The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became
involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s.
"His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture,
and ethics. His art has appeared in cities around the world. Banksy's work was
born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations
between artists and musicians. 

Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist 1992–1994 as one of Bristol's
DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ), with Kato and Tes. He was inspired by local artists
and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. From the start
he used stencils as elements of his freehand pieces, too. By 2000 he had turned
to the art of stenciling after realizing how much less time it took to complete
a piece.

He claims he changed to stenciling whilst he was hiding from the police under
a train carriage, when he noticed the stenciled serial number and by employing
this technique, he soon became more widely noticed for his art around Bristol
and London. Banksy's stencils feature striking and humorous images occasionally
combined with slogans. The message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-
establishment. Subjects include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children and the elderly. 

Banksy has self-published several books that contain photographs of his work in various countries as well as some of his canvas work and exhibitions, accompanied by his own writings:

* Banksy, Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall (2001)
* Banksy, Existencilism (2002)
* Banksy, Cut it Out (2004)
* Banksy, Wall and Piece (2005)
* Banksy, Pictures of Walls (2005)

www.banksy.co.uk