My Creative Hero: Banksy

Greg Rowan is a creative director and partner at Teak. He has been in brand advertising and communications for over 25 years and has worked at some of the world’s largest agencies as a creative director focused on growing high-profile global brands – including Unilever, Pepsico, Kraft foods, Lagunitas, Cadbury Schweppes Powell, Budweiser USA, Miller USA, Molson Breweries, Labatt’s brewery, and Canada Dry.  

LBB> Who is your creative hero?

Greg> Banksy.

LBB> How long has this person been important to you, and what are your first memories of meeting them or coming across their work?

Greg> In and around the early 2000’s, I remember seeing some graffiti stencilled on the West Bank wall that separates Palestine and Israel; it was a man with a bandana across his face about to throw a bouquet instead of a Molotov cocktail over the wall. Fuck me, the image was so simple and powerful. It hit me, and I am sure everyone else that saw it, like a shite ton of bricks. Crazy how relevant that image is today.

What a positive political statement in the context of the time and place. Wow, who had the balls to do this? Like any excellent communication, the message was loud, clear, and stuck in my grey matter like Gorilla Glue. I needed to know more about the artist who created this.

LBB> How did you get to know them, and has your relationship evolved over the years? How did you go about finding them to learn more about their work?

Greg> I started digging and quickly found the artist’s other work. He calls himself Banksy, but no one knows who he is. What a bold, provocative statement to remain anonymous! And this dude is political, anti-establishment, and rebellious, all executed with a biting sense of humour, wit, and irony. I also learned he has been teasing the British public and thumbing his nose at authority since the late nineties. People were photographing, commenting, stealing, but most of all, reacting to it.  

LBB> Why is the person such an inspiration to you?

Greg> I just love how creatively free, bold, and clever Banksy is. His work is always unexpected. I say “him”, but do we know if it’s a man? Watching him turn the art world upside down by bringing art out of stuffy galleries and onto the streets while elevating the graffiti art form is pretty impressive, and he kicked off a legitimate global street art movement. 

LBB> How does this person influence your approach to creative work?

Greg> The idea is to evoke some level of emotion from the viewer. Connecting that emotion to a message is what makes the work so memorable. Banksy opened my eyes to the world of street art. Its stealthy process fascinated me, and I gained a new respect for the artists who pursued the craft. I was so inspired that we even created a campaign for our former JanSport client that celebrated the artists and the process of creating street art on large walls worldwide. 

LBB> What piece or pieces of this person’s work do you keep returning to and why?

Greg> The film 'Exit Through the Gift Shop'. I still laugh every time I go to a gallery or museum and have to exit through the gift shop. The guy is one of the all-time greats in my book, pure genius.

I hope we never discover his identity; it would spoil the magic.