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
One first reaction to a “Best of” list toward the end of January 2011 might be confusion: “Why didn’t you write this up at the end of the year like everyone else?” The major reason is that quite a few notable films of the year didn’t become available until recently. I had to take a trip to Chicago to see several of these titles, some of which my colleagues still have yet to see.
