Blek Le Rat on Banksy and Swoon

In this video narrative, Complex documents and and interviews street art legend Blek Le Rat about his passion for art, and the work that has attracted spectacular amounts of attention, globally, for the past 30 years. Celebrated and revered by both the public and street artists alike, Blek Le Rat’s artworks have inspired and influenced some of the biggest name street artists in the world, including the notorious Banksy. “Every time I think I’ve painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier,” Banksy claims. Working mostly with stencils, Blek Le Rat is anything but a vandal. Blek Le Rat’s emblem, the rat, comes alive on the walls of Parisian streets. His rats serve as a symbol for his personal social concerns. They reflect his commentary on modern society. “There are 10 million people in Paris, I believe there are 20 million rats,” he states, “Rats are the only animals that are truly free in the city.”