If you caught Exit Through the Gift Shop this year (see our review here) you weren’t alone if you were left wondering who this enigmatic figure behind the voice changer was. Well, until earlier today, someone claimed to have figured it out-and he was selling the answer on Ebay.
The ad claimed:
“If you win this auction I will reveal to you the true identity of ‘Banksy.’ I have uncovered his identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records. I will reveal no more details. The winner of this auction is the only person that I will ever share this information with. I will simply tell you his name. I cannot offer anything more. I give you 100% assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as ‘Banksy’.”
This seller had previously tried to sell Banksy’s identity on Ebay, but Ebay took that auction down as the item was not something tangible. This time, he claims, the object was a piece of paper upon which Banksy’s true identity would be revealed. However this afternoon, with a little under 24 hours left, Ebay took down his second attempt. They haven’t yet explained why.
This could all be an elaborate prank on the part of Banksy, something not entirely unfamiliar to the graffiti artist; some have suggested that Exit Through the Gift Shop is also a kind of ruse. But for the time being, the shroud of mystery that surrounds Banksy will remain intact.
What do you think? Was this a prank? Is Exit Through the Gift Shop?
-Ben Creech
The Filmsmith 
That’s pretty amazing. I hope the guy doing it is Banksy. This seems like an attempt at web street art.
I like that Banksy’s identity is unknown; it makes the accomplishment of his work that much more impressive- hiding your identity while completing large scale projects illegally in a busy city is not an easy feat. I hope that the person on ebay is Banksy; if it is not, then that is terrible and that person needs to get a life of their own.