Not Banksy

NOT BANKSY (active since the 2000s).
"I Must Not Copy Banksy".
Silkscreen on cardboard. Exemplar 41/50.
Signed and justified on the back.
Enclosed certificate of authenticity issued by L-13 Light Industrial Workshop.
Measurements: 60 × 42 cm.

Not Banksy poses an ironic reflection on copying, authorship and authenticity in the context of urban art. The phrase "I must not copy Banksy", repeated like a school punishment, turns the accusation of plagiarism into the very subject of the work, humorously playing with the authority of the signature and the value of the artistic name.

The composition shows a rat compulsively writing the phrase in red, appropriating one of the most recognizable motifs of Banksy's imaginary. Edited in the L-13 Light Industrial Workshop environment, the work uses parody and repetition as critical tools to question the cult of the artist, the circulation of iconic images and the commodification of street art.

Not Banksy is a graphic and satirical project linked to L-13 Light Industrial Workshop, a London-based space dedicated to publishing, graphics and counterculture. Initiated in 2007 by STOT21stCplanB, the project is articulated from the appropriation, parody and criticism of the art system.