Pixabay The enigmatic street-artist Banksy may be about to reveal his identity to the world at today’s South Bank Sky Arts Awards in London.
The artist, who’s managed to keep his true identity a secret, is believed to attending the awards ceremony at The Savoy Hotel this afternoon, after being nominated for his satirical theme park ‘Dismaland’ in the visual arts category, The Mirror reports.
The attraction, which opened in an abandoned lido in seaside town of Weston-super-Mare back in August , was was highly controversial with The Guardian’s Jonathan Jones calling it depressing and saying it ‘brings together a lot of bad art by the seaside’.
WikimediaThe piece was a warped version of Disney Land and instead of family friendly rides featured an anarchist training camp, a migrant camp and a number of other political exhibits, leading Banksy to call it a ‘family theme park unsuitable for children’.
Despite being extremely popular, bringing in 150,000 visitors from around the world and boosting the local economy by £20m, the sinister park was eventually dismantled and sent to Calais to provide shelter for migrants.
The ‘Bemusement Park’ will be competing against Cornelia Parker’ Magna Carta (An Embroidery) at The British Library and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Verses After Dusk at the Serpentine Gallery.
WikimediaThe awards will be hosted by Lord Melvyn Bragg and will celebrate the best of the art world, along with the award’s 20th anniversary, with a guest list that includes Sir Lenny Henry, Martin Freeman, Russell T Davies, Stormzy, Maxine Peake, Elaine Paige and Matthew Bourne.
Comedian Eddie Izzard will also accept the outstanding achievement award for his lifetime contribution to the arts, a gong previously won by such luminaries as JK Rowling, Sir Richard Attenborough, The Who and Tracey Emin.
For your chance to see Banksy unmasked The South Bank Sky Arts Awards will be broadcast on Sky Arts on June 8.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.