Banksy's photographer reveals how the graffiti artist dodges arrests

Graffiti artist Banksy’s photographer Steve Lazarides recently revealed the reason why he never got arrested. He also revealed how the pair managed to lurk under the public’s radar while working in plain view.

Had various excuses to escape

Lazarides has been working with the UK based anonymous street artist for 11 years now. He originally started documenting the artist at work in 1997 eventually growing up to become his agent, strategist and minder. Talking to international media, he recently revealed how the pair managed to avoid arrests. He said that the secret is Banksy’s hi-vis jackets and traffic cones. He further said that anybody who has them will be stopped by nobody. Lazarides had earlier told international media that while working with the artist, they broke every rule in the rule book along with a fair few laws. 

He also narrated an incident where he and Banksy narrowly escaped from getting arrested. He said that there was a morning in New York’s Meatpacking District when a group of transgender sex workers took exception to Banksy painting a wall. Some of them misconstrued what he was writing as homophobic and called the cops. 

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He also revealed that both of them had various excuses to help them get away with spraying walls. The 50-year-old photographer said that once he gave Banksy a letter saying he had permission from a film producer to paint a wall. He further revealed that he would act as a film producer, armed with a burner phone. He was primed to apologise stating that he meant Banksy to do do the other side of the street, in case he got a call. Banksy has painted more than 30 artworks in global cities such as Los Angeles, Melbourne, Toronto, New Orleans and New York. Lazarides’ photographs showing Banksy at work have been published in a new book titled Banksy Captured which was released recently. 

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Earlier this month, the legendary street artist created a new art installation in Birmingham. In his new installation, he has created a wall art where he painted two reindeers on the wall beside a bench. The way the artist has approached the wall painting, it seems that the reindeers are pulling the bench as sleigh on their way to Santa’s grotto.