A Moscow street artist has been recently noticed by the press and dubbed “The Russian Banksy” or “Bankski.” While some of his work reminds us of Banksy’s style and humor, we’re not sure if the comparison is really fair yet. Until now, the work of 183 wasn’t much known outside of Moscow or the Russian LiveJournal community. He’s not a celebrity, so he can do things that Banksy wouldn’t — like set his graffiti mural of a rioter on fire so it looks like he’s torching an underside of a major bridge. The 183 oeuvre is quite varied, with concrete ruins spray-painted as giant Russian chocolate bars, portrait projections on smoke, hidden mixed media installations and, of course, the Banksy-esque stencils that got him a mini-wave of publicity. Since Banksy may have switched his focus to traditional sculpture, is there a new original street art prankster in town or this just another wannabe? Check out a few of our favorite 183 pieces and decide for yourself.
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183
Image credit: 183