Attack of the 15ft Rat

By Kenn Taylor

On your strolls around the city you may have seen the appearance of a massive rat painting on the corner of Berry Street. This - like many others in Liverpool and around the country - is the work of Banksy. Hailing from Bristol he is probably Britain's most celebrated graffiti artist.

You will probably have come across some of his work without knowing it. Banksy makes everything from massive murals to tiny stencils, mostly on falling down or eyesore buildings. Some are funny, some are political and some just look good. And he doesn't ask for any money off the Arts Council to do it! Some would call his work vandalism; personally I think bringing some life and colour into an unloved area without turning it into an apartment block should get him freedom of the city.

Aside from his work in Liverpool he has stencilled everything from police cars to live cows with everything from schoolgirls in gas masks to anti-corporate slogans. Not to mention leaving a dead rat in shades on display at London's Natural History Museum. It was several days before curators realised it wasn't a real exhibit.

Banksy has kept his real identity hidden and rarely does interviews; his anonymity is vital because what he does is illegal after all. His parents think he is a painter and decorator and he told The Guardian in 2003 that not getting caught was what made him enjoy his work: "The art to it is not getting picked up for it, and that's the biggest buzz at the end of the day because you could stick all my shit in the Tate Modern and have an opening with Tony Blair and Kate Moss on rollerblades handing out vol-au-vents and it wouldn't be as exciting."

By being subversive Banksy has inevitably become fashionable. He has self-published three books which have sold thousands and his canvases have been sold for up to £25,000. He even designed the cover for the 2003 Blur album 'Think Tank'. One of his favourite tricks is hanging his own work up in mainstream galleries when no one is looking, but despite this he recently had his own gallery exhibition, called "Turf War". He has accepted advertising jobs for Puma and MTV though he has turned down four offers of work from Nike for massive sums. Despite this he continues to make half-decent, imaginative public art in Liverpool and around the UK for nothing, unlike Tracey Emin's £60,000 bird sculpture.

Check out www.banksy.co.uk for more information and pictures.