'I hired Banksy for £50 then painted over his mural'


Banksy is known worldwide for his unique style of urban art. Despite his popularity, very little is known about the enigmatic artist. Recently, Peter de Boer, a senior youth worker for a deprived area of Bristol, has given the BBC an insight into the artist behind the murals. He invited Banksy to work with young people at a youth club in the late 1990s. At that time, Banksy was just starting to become famous. He had gained a reputation for going out and ‘tagging’ the city with his brother.

Banksy would come to Lawrence Weston, working with groups of teenagers in art classes. Here, he helped the youngsters come up with ideas and coached them on how to improve their skills. The artist would return to the club, creating new worlds with a revolving door of excitable 11 to 16 year olds.

The purpose-built youth centre became a real community hub, and Banksy helped groups of teens, just as he was about to paint his famous Mild, Mild West mural. The artwork depicted a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three riot policemen.

Peter de Boer recalls that “If you look at the photos, you can see the way he was working with the young people. They were engaged, having fun and sharing ideas. It was a true collaboration.” The photographs, which are the only remaining evidence of these unique murals, are available for use by the BBC on the condition that Banksy remains anonymous.

Bristol is currently paying homage to the famous graffiti artist with an exhibition in the city. Speaking about Banksy’s time at the club, Peter said, “the value of Banksy’s time here is not monetary, but what it did for the community.” He wonders if the children who worked with the artist back then remember creating pieces with a man who is now one of the most famous urban artists in the world

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More