
Blek le Rat (Xavier Prou), born in Paris studied painting
and architecture and was the first street artist to use the life-sized
stencil.
His main motivations are political and social consciousness and
the desire to bring art to the people.
Blek's art,
like
Banksy's, is playful, political and often provocative.
In fact,
Blek le Rat is the archetypal enfant terrible, undermining the
establishment with his risqué imagery.
This year he has had shows in
London and New York and a major monograph 'Blek le Rat—Getting Through'
the Walls, published by Thames and Hudson, documenting his artistic
career over the past twenty-five years.