Banksy in Dorset

Banksy in Dorset | Professor Paul Gough

19 January 2023, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Banksy, the pseudonymous artist first came to public attention in Bristol in the 1990’s as a freehand graffiti artist before employing the stencil technique that has become the signature style of the world’s most famous unknown artist.

Carefully guarding their identity from the legal risks associated with graffiti, Banksy moved to London around 2000 where the work gained international notoriety in both the gallery and on the street. The work is now in public spaces all over the world, inviting mass attention and media frenzy.

This illustrated lecture explores the Banksy phenomenon, the many changes in style and presentation, and the issues of anonymity. Banksy’s identity remains the subject of wide speculation, and Gough draws specific references to Dorset through his examination of the artists’ work over the past three decades.

Described by the mainstream and arts press (but explicitly not by himself) as an ‘expert’, Gough will share his insights into working with Banksy and his people since writing his first book in 2012. Along with insights on working with international media and a vast swathe of the public, he will reflect on what can be learned by business and industry from the irreverent and awkward behaviours of the urban calligrapher, operating under the trademark of ‘Banksy’.

Paul Gough

A painter, broadcaster and writer, Professor Gough has exhibited internationally and is represented in the permanent collection of the Imperial War Museum, London, the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, and the National War Memorial, New Zealand. In addition to roles in national and international higher education, his research into the imagery and aftermath of war has been presented at global conferences, symposia and to audiences throughout the world. He has also published extensively about the arts of war and peace; and also on street art, including an edited book on the street artist Banksy. Gough is currently Vice Chancellor of Arts University Bournemouth.