Enigmatic British artist Banksy pulled off the impossible in this digital age, one which seems so utterly intent on uncovering every single secret, worth knowing or not: he remained virtually unidentified for more than 30 years, despite the ubiquity and fame of his particularly provocative artworks. Of course, those works would sometimes seemingly randomly, and sometimes not-so-randomly appear in public locations around the globe. The speculation game regarding his actual identity became art's most fervent yet ultimately futile pursuit.

First gaining notoriety in the early 90's as part of the DryBreadZ graffiti crew, hailing from the West Country, England university city of Bristol (population around 500k), he either benefitted from or was overshadowed by the Wild Bunch, a musical collective phenomenon that included the considerable likes of Neneh Cherry, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack - and that shared a hometown with him. But the switch to his now iconic stencil art style at the turn of the Millennium ultimately brought worldwide recognition, even as he still resided under a cloak of secrecy. Major exhibits in London and Los Angeles around that time would solidify his status.

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Most fascinatingly, at a time when art was mostly moving away from overt political messaging - apart from the considerable likes of, say, Kara Walker, Ai Weiwei, Kehinde Wiley... - Banksy's work had become utterly, ardently ideological. To paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, the message was as much the medium. He took aim at hawkish warmongering, at corporate greed and at a whole host of despicable but entrenched "isms". Yet the revolution he was agitating for was simply one where love, tolerance, justice and the sanctity of childhood innocence would simply gain a few more victories over bigotry, cold-blooded indifference, and the cheering on of the stock market to ever dizzier heights, even as free school lunches for underprivileged children were being cancelled in the heartless, donor-driven halls of Congress.

Sure, there were the recurring rats; and certainly plenty of imagery that was intended to make people uncomfortable with its piercing criticisms of society's inequities. Yet his most iconic works are notable for conveying a sense of beauty and hopefulness amidst all the ugliness being broadcast by news channels 24 hours a day. In fact, his 'Girl with Balloon' is often accompanied by the words, "There is always hope"; and though it at first appears that the red, heart-shaped balloon is flying away from the young girl, it can just as easily be interpreted as her reaching up to grab hold of it.

His 2003 'Flower Thrower' was nothing if not a heartrending plea for non-violence and peaceful solutions to the ongoing tragedies in the Middle East. That the region is still inflamed by war 23 years later, surely makes the work more relevant than ever.

Since then there have been the now iconic public installations like 'Dismaland' (2015) and 'Walled Off Hotel' (2017). While opinions have varied on the point and purpose of the unauthorized museums bearing the artist's name that have popped up in New York City, Paris, Brussels, Prague, Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona - featuring only reproductions.

Around 2016, Robert dej Naja (AKA 3D), a founding member of the aforementioned musical group Massive Attack, was suddenly the subject of rampant speculation that he just might possibly be the man behind the Banksy phenomenon. That theory was quickly denied, and then hastily moved on from.

But this week, there suddenly arose another media frenzy around a middle-aged chap by the name of Robin Gunningham, also from Bristol, likely being the culprit. It has yet to be definitively confirmed.

It's the perfect occasion, then, to remember that, taken as a collective body of work, Banksy's oeuvre is remarkably universal in its messaging, dispensing with all of the highbrow "coding" of so much contemporary art. It has always been art made for, and speaking directly to, the people.

So who EXACTLY then is Banksy?

We are all Banksy.

And Banksy is us.