Banksy is perhaps one of, if not the, most celebrated street artists of our time. Even for people who hate his work, one or two pieces stand out as favorites. Well, brace yourselves, readers, because things are about to get meta. Meet Nick Stern, a Los Angeles-based British photographer. His photography has taken him all around the world, to over 45 countries. Right now, however, he’s known for bringing the world Bansky’s created into fleshy, spongy life.

 

 

 

 

Nick Stern, along with a ton of great models, re-enact scenes created by Banksy. The results are something like performance art captured on camera. It’s no easy feat. Recreating Banksy in the real world makes for some clever maneuvering, playing with your scenery to skew reality, and a really strange search for props. The scenes are almost as charming as a Banksy original and there’s just something about actual people bringing life to them that has its own charm. A lot of passion goes into Stern’s work, and according to My Modern Met, he had this to say:

 

"It was a lot of work as I wanted to make sure every photo was an accurate representation, but the final results were worth it. For weeks leading up to each of the shoots I scoured Ebay to find props such as Jesus’s ring of thorns and the police helmets and even made some of them, like the RPG, myself. I just hope Banksy likes what I have done."

 

Stern’s project, aptly titled You Are Not Banksy, doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon. As long as Banksy’s still around, artists like Stern and so many others will be inspired to create homages, parodies, and maybe some scathing satire.

 

 

 

 

Check out Stern’s portfolio website for so much more!