Artwork appears at Welsh funfair and people think it’s Banksy
David Owens
He’s the mystery man whose artwork is worth millions.
His artwork which majors on social criticism of the problems and absurdities of contemporary Western society has captivated a global audience while his true identity remains a secret.
Of course, we in Wales are more than familiar with the artist whose Season’s Greeting’s artwork attracted huge attention when it was unveiled in Port Talbot in December 2018.
A searing commentary on pollution in the town, it triggered a saga which ultimately saw the artwork removed from the area, when it was sold to a collector.
Nevertheless, it inspired a street art explosion in the town, which has now been dubbed the street art capital of Wales.
That’s why there was much excitement when pictures of what was believed could be another Banksy artwork in Wales were posted to Facebook.
Pics of a stencilled mural which showed a Banksy-like artwork of a young boy in a pirate hat, holding a sword and a mechanical grabber appeared on a wall at the Coney Beach Fun Fair were posted in the Porthcawl Facebook group.
The person who took the pictures excitedly hoped they had come across a new artwork from the enigmatic artist and appealed for help in identifying whether it was indeed the famous Bansky. While debate briefly raged the artist was quickly identified as their tag accompanied the piece on the wall.
On this occasion it wasn’t actually Bansky, but Wales’ own version of the mystery man, an equally enigmatic street artist from Swansea named RVK, who displayed the image on his Instagram page.
RVK came to prominence in 2019 when a number of pieces of art suddenly appeared around Merthyr town centre.
They were all signed by the artist and were compared to Banksy as they all bore similar hallmarks – a humorous social commentary style and the use of stencils.
Using popular cultural icons from musician John Lennon to characters from iconic movies such as Star Wars, Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting, the artwork was met with positivity from locals who took to social media at the time to express their admiration for the work of the mysterious RVK.
Since then he has created a number of humorous pieces around Merthyr and Swansea that can be seen on his Instagram page.
As for the identity of the mystery artist, much like Banksy nobody seems to know.
RVK’s Merthyr street art
As for the actual Banksy, the artist hit the headlines today after artwork which showed a judge attacking a protester with a gavel appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice. The artwork, confirmed to be a Bansky, is on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex.
It was quickly covered up – concealed by large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers, but its message had quickly hit global headlines.
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