BANKSY SPEAKS: The Elusive Artist Explains Why He Chose New York For His Latest Show
But in a rare interview with The Village Voice's Keegan Hamilton (conducted over email - the artist was selective about which questions he answered), Banksy opened up about his latest endeavor, a month-long "artists residency" on the streets of New York City.
He explained why he chose New York for the project, despite the challenge of remaining undercover there:
"New York calls to graffiti writers like a dirty old lighthouse. We all want to prove ourselves here," Banksy wrote to The Voice. "I chose it for the high foot traffic and the amount of hiding places. Maybe I should be somewhere more relevant, like Beijing or Moscow, but the pizza isn't as good."
The artist also said he visited New York a few months ago to seek out locations for the show, called "Better Out Than In." But he lamented that "most of the empty lots I planned to use have got condos built on them already."
How did Banksy choose The Village Voice, a free alt-weekly, for his exclusive interview? A publicist for the artist told the paper he "feels an affinity with people who provide quality content for free on street corners."
Banksy is eight days into his New York project. So far works have included a fake Plato quote on a door in Greenpoint, a dog peeing on a fire hydrant in Chelsea, and a "mobile garden."