“When I visited Japan’s first Banksy exhibition “Genius or Vandal” in Yokohama in fall 2020 I had a big discussion with my 9-year-old son about the identity of Banksy. He is convinced that Banksy can only be a man because “he is doing street art, graffiti, and parcour - running from the police. Naming YouTube as his source and supported by his friends that tell him that his mother is old school, almost 40 and doesn’t know what she is talking about, he refused to accept my attempts at telling him to be open for other options. So while my son’s friends already picture me in a nursing home and my pelvic floor, after having three kids, definitely doesn’t allow experiments like parcour and climbing on buildings, I created my own version of Banksy. The modern, female Banksy wearing Hermes, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci. Walking through a Japanese fantasy world. Visiting Love Hotels and hunting traditional ghosts. Shopping in prestigious establishments accompanied by a pug dog called Tutu wearing a Moncler dog suit. So, this summer 2021, when I celebrate my 40 th birthday and the Banksy exhibition “Who is Banksy?” takes place in Tokyo, you will have the answer: BANKSY IS A GIRL.”
