Banksy - Fought the Law . . . and Won?

Today was an interesting day for Banksy's month long street art exhibition 'Better Out Than In'. The only thing that Banksy released was a statement saying 'Today's art has been cancelled due to police activity'.

This has set off a flurry of speculation all across the internet.  For a moment, it even seemed like there might be a substantive report that Banksy legitimately got caught.  There were even rumors on M&F that Banksy got busted painted a subway piece, but no pics of this ever came forward.

We do believe that the NYPD is pressing hard to find Banksy, and NYC's streets are probably pretty hot right now. We think this not just because the NY Post is quoting Mayor Bloomberg saying as much, but more so because New York has a 'tough on graffiti crime' reputation. Banksy's month long exhibition is a slap in the face to the New York authorities.  So are the cops gunning for Banksy? Oh yeah, big time.

Many fans believe that Banksy's statement about the police today was the intended art itself.  But we don't think so. If Banksy had wanted to make a statement about the police, he would have painted the statement on a wall, or made a video about it.

Most likely, what happened today is that Banksy tried hitting a street spot, but nearly got caught. Or somehow got prevented from completing the piece.  Or maybe the police are just an excuse? Perhaps Banksy just forgot his stencil and the police were a better excuse?  Police or no, it does seem that today is a hole is Banksy's month long exhibition.  It is a bit surprising that Banksy did not have a back up piece or two planned? Guess 30/31 days isn't too bad?

As a side note, early in October when Banksy first started his art, it seemed like every piece would get defaced.  Which got old. Then, New York woke up to Banksy, and more recently, nearly every piece has got protected.  And that got stale, too.  Just when things were starting to become 'expected', Banksy throws a twist into the mix and puts nothing out today. But, to be clear, we do not think that today's online statement was Banksy's art piece.

Anyhoo, Banksy's absence of art today has inspired some funny online jokes like 'Free Banksy' and 'Police Activity - The Musical'.  Click the jump to check it out, and look forward to tomorrow's piece from Banksy.