Banksy is a pseudonymous United Kingdom-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Banksy "was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s. "Banksy began as a freehand graffiti artist in 1990–1994. As one of Bristol's DryBreadZ Crew, with Kato and Tes. He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol undeground scene with Nick Walker. Inkie and 3D. During this time he met Bristol photographer Steve Lazarides, who began selling Banksy's work, later becoming his agent. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stencilling after realising how much less time it took to complete a work. He claims he changed to stencilling while he was hiding from the police under a rubbish lorry, when he noticed the stencilled serial number and by employing this technique, he soon became more widely noticed for his art around Bristol and London.Regarding personal fame, Banksy has stated that "We don't need any more heroes; we just need someone to take out the recycling." However, in addition to his artwork, Banksy has claimed responsibility for a number of high profile artworks.