Instant Public Art
A Street Art History of Stencil Graffiti
Heidelberg 2025
Banksy is one of the most known contemporary artists. However, the origins of his preferred technique, stencil graffiti, have remained largely unexplored. The book unfolds a different history of Street Art through the lens of stencil graffiti that deviates from the usual narrative. Instead of Blek le Rat as its originator, this book presents other international and more plausible examples of pre-Banksy stencil graffiti pioneers. Contrary to the usual story this survey highlights the importance and interconnectedness of conceptual art and other avangarde art with protest art concerning stencil graffiti history which is often reduced to the latter only.
Street art researcher and Banksy expert Ulrich Blanché has been researching and teaching at Heidelberg University since 2012. In 2024, he curated an exhibition on the history of urban art with 123 artists at Historisches Museum Saar.
