Read on to find out why famed artist Banksy has not been caught by police.
There is plenty of mystery surrounding graffiti artist Banksy. For example, who is he, and how have police never caught him?
So, how has Banksy not been caught?
Firstly, according to the man who photographed the artist for over a decade, some clever thinking always prevented the police making an arrest. Of course, graffiti art is illegal and while the penalty is light, police catching Banksy in action would risk revealing his secret identity.
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Photographer Steve Lazarides took images of Banksy for 11 years, later becoming his agent and strategist. Speaking to The Guardian, Lazarides explains how the artist remained one step ahead of cops during their time together.
Image: WikipediaWhy Banksy Has Not Been Caught
Lazarides says, “The secret is hi-vis jackets and traffic cones. Nobody stops you if you have them.”
He describes a situation when during a stay in New York’s Meatpacking District where some transgender people took offence to something Banksy was painting.
“Some of them misconstrued what he was writing as homophobic and called the cops,” said Lazarides. However, “That’s about as close to getting arrested as we got.”
“Once I gave him a letter saying he had permission from a film producer to paint a wall,” said the photographer.
“And I would be the film producer, armed with a burner phone. If I got a call, I was primed to say, ‘Sorry mate, I meant him to do the other side of the street.’”
Over the years, Lazarides photographed Banksy and has now collected those images in a new book titled Banksy Captured.
Anonymous Artist
Little is known about the real identity of Banksy. Importantly, the British street artist and political activist has been active for over 20 years. However, Banksy’s name is not known to the public, but he is considered among the most famous artists in the world.
While Banksy has not been caught by police, he has had some close calls. Do you like Banksy and have you followed the artist over the years. Let us know in the comments below.