A biography for Ben Einehasn’t been written yet.
“When I first got into graffiti I thought it was going to change the world. But when, 20-years-later, it still hadn't, I got bored of the self-imposed rules.”
“I did long-term re-insurance claims. Asbestos, health hazards, pollution. It was very boring. But I've got quite a mathematical brain and it paid well.”
“All too often, when people think about art in the U.K., they think London. There's some really great work being produced outside of the capital city and I think it is important to stop and acknowledge that.”
“Whenever I go anywhere in the world to do a show I try to paint something in the street as well.”
“The Prime Minister gave President Obama one of my artworks and suddenly my name was all over the news.”
“A friend of mine back in 1989 did an illegal rave in Vauxhall. He got Keith Haring to come along and tag the side of the wall. My friend cut it out of the wall and he kept it under his bed for 20 years. Then a few years ago he asks me if I want to buy it... so I spent £12,000 on a Keith Haring.”
“When I got into graffiti, it was the most-exciting art form and it changed the course of my life.”
“Spraypainting a shop shutter turns an ugly, boring thing into something interesting and colourful. I think you'd have to be a pretty negative person to find fault in it.”
“I've a lot of respect for what people are doing here in Manchester, to promote the city's creativity and Aviva Investors Manchester Art Fair has played a big role in that. I'm glad to bring my work to the North West.”
“For me, it's mostly about having stuff on the street. You're walking down the street, you do it every day, and suddenly there's something that wasn't there yesterday: something bright and cheerful and different. It might stay there for a year; maybe it will disappear.”
“Street art, unlike graffiti, adds to the environment and is a positive experience for the artist and community.”
“You just have to be clever about who you work with. Had I done Gap or H&M, there's no way Louis Vuitton would have wanted to work with me. So you hold out for the big ones.”
“My friends were stealing cars and shoplifting. I was never into that but I was cheeky. I enjoyed making people laugh.”
“I love to paint and beautify the most unexpected of places - I've painted everything from doorways to trains but have always wanted to do something really huge and different.”
“In certain places around the world, street art is widely accepted and it is part of the urban environment.”
“I'm hoping that Abu Dhabi's first piece of street art will inspire the next generation of artists the same way that the discovery of subway art inspired me all those years ago.”
“When I started working at Pictures On Walls, I'd been hanging out with Banksy for a few years travelling around the world together painting stuff, and then we moved into a new office and wanted to do screenprinting.”
“I have never voted in any election - I usually have more important things to do, especially since I've had kids.”
“I haven't studied art and I haven't studied typography, but I've still gone out and done it.”
“Old typography or letter woodblocks that are hand-carved, cracked, and worn are especially beautiful. I love that aged, handmade effect, and that's why I don't muck around much with Photoshop.”