The elusive street artist is back again, turning the streets of New York into his very own graffiti playground. His latest project, entitled “Better Out than In: An Artist Residency on the Streets of New York” sees Banksy embarking on a month-long project to create one of his signature artworks per day.

The project marks a return for the artist after his last piece, “Parachuting Rat” painted in Melbourne, debuted over a year ago. Speaking to the Village Voice, a representative for Banksy stated that the aim of his latest project is “to live here, react to things, see the sights- and paint on them.” Already, the city has witnessed his trademark stencils which have included naughty paperboys, a dog peeing on a fire hydrant, and a Band-Aid covered balloon. Alongside these, Banksy has also created a mobile installation of a garden, rainbow and waterfall in the back of a delivery truck. But what The Practice team love most about Banksy’s latest endeavour, are his attempts to stencil “The Musical” beneath others’ graffiti scrawls of words such as “Playground mob” and “Dirty underwear”, adding a touch of the artist’s famously black humour to the streets.

But what we’ve most been interested to see is how the hype has played out on social media. Banksy himself has been using various platforms, particularly Instagram and Twitter, to spread the word of his latest instalments. Messages first started appearing around LA, with posters showcasing “Banksy Oct. 2013.” Then the project garnered further interest when Street art photographer, Fragile, posted an image of the first Banksy piece, ‘The street is in play”, leading to an official announcement that a new project was in the works. Since then, fans have been eagerly watching all affiliated social media handles in the race to spot more of his artwork, helped only by mysterious clues for future locations. And of course, Twitter has been the perfect place to follow the action, with not only members of the public, but also media outlets allowing users to track new pieces as they emerge.

But is the secret out for Banksy’s persona? Is the artist becoming less enigmatic than he once was? In the past few days alone, rumours of his identity have surfaced, with onlookers reporting a man wearing a flat cap and dirty overalls at the scene of one of his creations after his van allegedly broke down. The man, caught on camera in Manhattan’s East Village, matches previous descriptions from members of the public, describing a man in his thirties with brown hair. However, we’re sceptical- we can’t imagine Banksy’s identity would be revealed so suddenly, with or without his van breaking down! This aside, The Practice team have got our New York colleagues on vigilant watch for any semblance of a “Banksy-esque” man, plus his upcoming pieces. We can’t wait to see what’s created next!

Are you a fan of Banksy? Do you think his work still has appeal, or is it fast becoming too “commercial”? We’d love to hear your thoughts and see your pictures of any Banksy pieces you’ve seen or spotted. Please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page. And do let us know if you happen to stumble upon any of his latest stencillings in New York!