So Who Exactly is Banksy?

Recently, articles were published claiming that scientists used math, criminology and geographic profiling to identify Banksy. The research, published in the Journal of Spatial Science, analyzed a series of locations of Banksy’s artworks in London and Bristol and mapped them against “anchor points” such as the homes of people suspected of being Banksy to draw conclusions about a possible identity.

So who is Banksy? Research concluded that Robin Gunningham was the most likely candidate. Dr. Le Comber and Dr. Rossmo, the scientists conducting the study, were unimpressed with headlines asserting that they had somehow proved Banksy’s identity. “It does show a trend that overall we need to be worried about,” said Dr. Rossmo. “It’s kind of hard to know what to believe.” “There has been a suggestion that terrorist groups frequently engage in low-level activities to build up to big events. And that often involves graffiti, banner posting and leafletting.” “More broadly, these results support previous suggestions that analysis of minor terrorism-related acts (eg graffiti) could be used to help locate terrorist bases before more serious incidents occur, and provides a fascinating example of the application of the model to a complex, real-world problem.”

Even the Huffington Post released an article titled “All The Times Investigators Claimed They Discovered The REAL Banksy”, in which they list 13 instances of speculations as to Banksy’s identity, including “Banksy is a woman” and “a former public schoolboy from middle-class suburbia”.

So, again, who is Banksy? Most of us might never know…