25th December 2019 KING ROBBO!
Early that Christmas morning I noticed a photograph on Flickr of Robbo’s new iteration of this piece posted by Robbo’s WRH crew mate Doze. The genius was immediately apparent from that photo. I whizzed straight down to the canal, took some photos and wrote “Banksy vs Robbo WRH, WD – Checkmate” which was up online before Christmas lunch was served. It remains to this day the most read post on Graffoto.
Before Robbo’s Christmas morning adventure, the art on the wall consisted of a workman by Banksy wallpapering over some graffiti, which was actually an ancient Robbo piece.
Banksy Wallpaperer, 19th December 2019
For context, Banksy vs Robbo was an intense feud with ancient origins but for roughly a 6 month period it raged spectacularly at several locations along Regents Canal in Camden as each artist attacked the other’s art with a succession of insults.
“It’s tongue in cheek, it’s all a laugh, it’s a giggle” Robbo told Graffoto about 10 months later when we met for a beery one on one unpublished interview in his local near Kings Cross. Robbo also said in reference to the art Banksy was producing at the time “A couple of things I like, the graffiti wallpaper, that was a good piece, so was the global warming, that was a good piece. I appreciate art, I’m an artist. I’m a graffiti artist that’s my main flag but I am an artist“.
Robbo exhibition opening night, Pure Evil Gallery, Sep 2010
Robbo exhibition, Pure Evil Gallery, Sep 2010
Robbo mentioned how he didn’t have much to do with social media so his mate put up the photo on Flickr, then early afternoon called Robbo to tell him the piece had already been picked up by a blog. Robbo said some kind and appreciative things about the Graffoto coverage so on the 10th anniversary of that event it is a pleasure to remember that exciting piece of art.
The word “Checkmate” in the title of that Christmas Day blog post was a bit presumptuous, Banksy didn’t let things lie there and neither did Robbo. Follow the full sequence of evens in the spat below:
Update – check Robbo’s flick, in particular go down to Keen-one’s comments, here.
Old news: Banksy hits Camden
Robbo Trumped Banksy: Banksy vs Robbo WRH, WD – checkmate
Banksy vs Robbo…Did You Think It Was Over?
And The Beef Goes On
Banksy v Robbo: War Continues
Banksy Reparations
2014, sadly.. Robbo RIP
Robbo RIP, Tribute by Adnate (Aus) in Shoreditch. Sep 2014
All photos: Dave Stuart