Listen&Learn: Banksy

Learn about one of the world’s most famous street artists.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• anonymous: someone whose real name is unknown
• graffiti: art that is made in public places, often with spray paint
• stencil: a piece of paper with an image cut out of it, used to make art quickly
• theory: a belief that may or may not be true
• identity: who a person is

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Banksy is an anonymous British street artist. He is known for creating art with messages. He first became famous in the 1990s for making freehand graffiti around Bristol, England. In the early 2000s, he started to use stencils for his art. Banksy has made in many major cities, including London, New York, and Paris. It is difficult to be and anonymous at the same time, and many people have theories about Banksy’s identity. Some people think that Banksy is really a of artists instead of one. Others believe that Banksy is a woman. The most common theory is that Banksy is Robin Gunningham, an artist from Bristol who has been photographed with stencils and spray paint.

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Because it is illegal, graffiti is a very controversial subject. Some people believe it is a legitimate art form, while others believe it is wrong. What do you think about graffiti?

Transcript

Banksy is an anonymous British street artist. He is known for creating art with political messages. He first became famous in the 1990s for making freehand graffiti around Bristol, England. In the early 2000s, he started to use stencils for his art. Banksy has made paintings in many major cities, including London, New York, and Paris. It is difficult to be famous and anonymous at the same time, and many people have theories about Banksy’s identity. Some people think that Banksy is really a team of artists instead of one. Others believe that Banksy is secretly a woman. The most common theory is that Banksy is Robin Gunningham, an artist from Bristol who has been photographed with stencils and spray paint.