As you walk down the aisles of a museum and breathe in the culture and significance of any historic artifact, your eyes almost always instinctively wander off course the arrangement of glass displays and steal a glance at the object line underneath. Typed out in bold is the identity of the artists. After all, why shouldn’t it be? It is said that the art cannot be separated from the artist and that we must give credit where credit is due. Contrary to these beliefs is the emergence of a new army of street artists, who would bid-adieu to their career of creating art before they even contemplate revealing their real name.
The reasons behind their decision of remaining unknown vary as drastically as the messages they succeed in conveying so vividly. From wanting to protect their own life from the hands of stringent anti-vandalism laws and angered citizens who disagree with the message behind their graffiti, to not wanting to partake in the ‘narcissistic’ practice of believing that art is appreciated because of the artist – these mysterious creators have carved out an unconventional way of spreading their message without the risks and admiration that comes with being spotted.
Banksy (England)
Why did the chicken cross the road? Well, if that road is located somewhere in England, then there is a good chance that it was to get a closer look at one of Banksy’s world-famous graffiti that shows up mysteriously on walls across the street overnight. If you have read anything about street art, you are most likely familiar with Banksy’s name, or at least striking images of his work without realizing the artist’s name associated with them – which is just the way he wants it. From starting his career in the 1990s in shady Bristol neighbourhoods alongside a graffiti gang called DryBreadZ Crew to securing a spot in Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2010, Banksy has been the torchbearer for inspiring anonymity in many aspiring street artists who have risen ever since. His early days of cowering over train tracks to hide from the police were what sparked his distinguished drawing method of stencilling to cut down his graffiti time by half. His artwork explores political themes while critiquing concepts of capitalism, greed, and war. Here is one of his recent pieces, showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement in America.
Tyler (India)
Often called the Banksy of India, this Mumbai-based street artist goes by the pseudonym ‘Tyler’ – an adaptation of Brad Pitt’s character in Fight Club who is known for protesting against the system under the cloak of anonymity. You don’t need to foray far into the city to witness one of his artworks. From his famous slogan ‘Kindness is free. *offer valid while stocks last’ plastered over Andheri streets, to a plethora of political satires painted over isolated buildings in Versova, Tyler has managed to transform the entirety of the city into his art gallery, housing over 200 of his exhibits up for display. One of his most famous pieces draws inspiration from the notorious character of Bart Simpson, of western media, who is often shown furiously scribbling ‘I will not…’ on a blackboard as punishment for his delinquency. Tyler alters this scene in his graffiti, describing it as “someone being punished to prove one’s love and nationality over three words.”
Fruzsina Katona (Hungary)
Just as the motive behind the art can be to gain simple visual pleasure rather than for some deeper meaning, so can the reason behind creating it anonymously. For this unnamed street artist(s) in Hungary, the message that they spread is more to do with their act of creating art than the art itself, which is what leads them to believe that attaching their name to it is unimportant. Living amidst the neglected state of cracked pavements in Budapest, an army of anonymous volunteers decided to take the matter (and the brushes) into their own hands. Going by the alias of ‘Fruzsina Katona’, this pack has gone to town by painting over the cracks and livening up the atmosphere and spirit of the city and its residents. However, the sun tends to set on all neighborhoods – even the ones with color and cheer splattered across it – and so was the case with these artsy volunteers. After having the police called on them, they were charged with anti-vandalism laws which brought a close to their project. Nevertheless, their art lives on well beyond their creators, serenading passers-by with an unexpected burst of color as they go about their daily lives.
Does anonymity in art make it somehow more appreciable than the pieces with an artist’s real identity attached to them? In a way – yes. In a time where fame is taught as a measure of success to strive for, the internet is flooded daily by users trying to go viral, and every creator aspires to leave behind a legacy through their creations for others to remember them by – it is rare to see such well-known pieces of art whose artists choose to remain unknown. Yet somehow, perhaps the anonymity does not contribute to pieces of work that are already standalone and whole in themselves. For as these artists would say: if the presence of their name adds no more value to their art, then why should the absence of it?
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