To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Unearthed Video Appears To Show Glimpse Of Banksy's Face

Unearthed Video Appears To Show Glimpse Of Banksy's Face

The footage was discovered in an ITV vault, and was filmed during the 2003 Turf War exhibition in London.

EMS 7

EMS 7

One of the greatest mysteries in the art world is the hidden identity of Banksy. During his rise to notoriety, countless theories and rumours have claimed to know the answer, but to no avail.

The most popular theory is that he could be Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja - although it's never been confirmed.

However, this could all change with the release of an unearthed video interview showing a man claiming to be the anonymous street artist.

The footage was discovered in an ITV vault, and was filmed during the 2003 Turf War exhibition in London.

His identity is kept hidden underneath a baseball cap and a tee as he talks to the reporter in front of a collection of pieces, including a number of painted farm animals.

ITV News

"I'm disguised because you can't really be a graffiti writer and then go public," he tells ITV News correspondent Haig Gordon, who has since retired.

"The two things don't quite go together."

Later the masked man is shown spraying paint onto an insect stencil and a separate snippet shows a picture of a baby playing with alphabet blocks that spell 'KILL MORE', both of which are works attributed to Banksy.

The footage was left in a vault and forgotten about, until Bristol-based ITV reporter Robert Murphy found it while researching Banksy.

The question remains over whether this is the artist himself or, as the news outlet points out, is he just one of many who work collectively under the moniker?

ITV News

Many support the theory that Banksy is a team of artists and not just one guy, which would explain how he has been able to develop such a rich body of work spanning across the globe.

Still, this video could reveal the original Banksy who kickstarted the street graffiti phenomenon.

The interview was filmed at a time when Banksy was well known in street art circles, three years before he hit the mainstream thanks to a breakout installation in LA in 2006.

Now he is a household name and continues to spread his controversial and politically-charged work in all regions of the world.

More recent pieces include the shredded print prank (which didn't quite go to plan) and that incredible stab-proof vest for Stormzy's groundbreaking Glastonbury set.

Stormzy made history at Glastonbury.
PA

And while Banksy continues to uphold his anonymity, with just a few select people reported to know the truth, this video certainly appears, to a certain extent, to mark a breakdown of the illusion.

Not that this is something to celebrate. As one of the vox pops suggested, "I think that if we knew who he was the interest would probably have died out by now. It's definitely the mystique surrounding him that's the interesting thing."

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: ITV, Banksy