MARIACHI PLAYER, CIRCA 2001

Auction History

Catalogue Note

Mariachi Player is a black aerosol stencil on composite stone wall depicting a mariachi musician playing a Mexican guitarron from which is emanating a sound bubble with aerial bombs.

Mariachi Player , an early example of what would become known as Banksy’s signature style, was executed circa 2001 while Banksy was on tour in Mexico with the Bristol-based Soccer club Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls. The club played matches with teams comprised of members from the leftist revolutionary group the Zapatistas and helped raise money to pay for amenities in Zapatista communities.

Mariachi Player was created on the corner of a building in Chiapas in the town of San Cristobal De Las Casas, the scene of a Zapatista uprising in 1994, and is featured prominently in Banksy’s self-published book Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall.