This paper explores the persistence and ubiquitous spread of the stencil as a vehicle for mass–produced street art, made especially popular through the iconic work of British street-artist Banksy. At the other extreme are the stencil-cutters, who by comparison are regarded within the peer community of the subculture, as lesser writers, relying on craft skills that are held to be quaint, even fraudulent. At the apex are those writers who create the imposing wildstyle exhibition pieces, large-scale vivid inscriptions that require a high degree of graphic invention and daring. A Blek le Rat exhibition also opens at the Thru Cargo Garden, Arch 461, 83 Rivington Street, London on May 9.īanksy’s Bristol: Home Sweet Home by Steve Wright is published by Tangent Books (£12).Contemporary graffiti artists, or ‘writers’ as they are known, observe a strict hierarchy that self-ranks ambition, daring and calligraphic innovation. We suggest checking out Blek’s book for some of those original ideas.īlek le Rat is published by Thames & Hudson on May 12 (£11.95). And here, the reference to Blek’s potential influence is brief, but nonetheless revealing: “Every time I think I’ve painted something original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only twenty years earlier.” In Blek le Rat (published by Thames & Hudson) Sybille Prou – who is also Mrs Blek le Rat – and filmmaker King Adz have done a fine job in bringing Blek’s story across, collecting together a range of images of his iconic street art.Ĭoincidentally, Banksy’s very first “unofficial biography” is also published next month. But Blek, a Frenchman, has been working on ironic self-portraits, stencilled socio-political commentary and, interestingly – rats – since 1981. While Blek’s reputation, at least beyond the world of street art, is far less well known, a new book of his work looks certain to bring his art to a wider audience and throw up a few more questions on just how influential he’s been.Īpparently, when Blek was pasting up an image in a London street last year, he was asked by an inquisitive passerby: “are you Banksy?” Such is the notable similarity between the two graffiti artist’s work. As a result, Banksy’s artistic reputation – no doubt helped by his anonymity – has been elevated to near mythical status. But the perception of Banksy as the pioneer of street art is certainly the one favoured by the media and the art world. While Banksy is a relative newcomer to the graffiti scene, Blek le Rat has been stencilling, pasting and daubing his way around the world for nearly thirty years.
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