Did Banksy Make It To Canada???, by stencilbeast on Jun 26, 2010 23:48:20 GMT 1, Hey Guys,

Sorry, I don't have a photo to post - but I have seen a (very bad) picture with my own eyes....

Here's the story...

Recently, a friend of mine mentioned that he saw a piece of graffiti in my neighbourhood that was signed Banksy (he knew that I'm a fan of Banksy's, and so made sure to mention it to me). Unfortunately, he couldn't remember exactly where it was (I've spent several hours walking through nearby alleyways trying to find it, so I can get a picture, with no luck - perhaps it's been painted over already).

Luckily, since he remembered I liked Banksy, he made sure to take a crappy picture with his cell-phone. I've seen that pic, but can't tell if it's a real Banksy or not (I think I'm leaning towards it being fake, but the picture isn't nearly good enough to tell).

However...

1. It showed up a couple months ago, at about the time Banksy was travelling through North America promoting the movie (before it was released).
2. My city had LOTS of fly-posters go up on poles at around the same time.
3. It hasn't been publicized. As far as I know, my friend and I are the only ones that have seen it.
4. It's small. In an alleyway. In a rough part of town.
5. It's a small stencil on a door. Just black. The image is of the axe scene in The Shining. You know, the one where Jack Nicholson looks through the hole and says: 'Here's Johnny!...' Well, it's a close-up of the face, with 'Here's Banksy' stenciled beside it.
6. The text is in the proper font for Banksy's signature (or, at least looks right from the crappy pic I've seen). The 'Here's' is also in Banksy's font (or something very close).
7. Also, it's worth pointing out that virtually NO ONE in my city knows who Banksy is (western Canada)... And, I'd be utterly shocked if more than a handful of people knew what his signature should look like...

A scene from a movie doesn't sound like Banksy. Neither does the self-referential, 'here's Banksy!' bit... The picture wasn't wide enough (or hi-res enough) to tell if it fit in with it's surroundings. But, conceptually, I don't think it will (which doesn't sound like Banksy either)...

I've been looking for it, on and off, for almost a month now, I'll post a picture if I can ever find the frickin' thing...

What do you guys think?...