There are a lot of reasons why an artist may decide to keep their identity a secret. Some of these reasons include legal protection, protecting the artist’s ego, or allowing them to focus on the art instead of their personal lives.
One of the most common examples is Banksy. His work is known around the world, but he is still able to maintain his anonymity thanks to careful planning and a network of trusted individuals.
Pseudonyms
Artists, especially those who work in the contemporary art world, often employ pseudonyms for a variety of reasons. For example, artists use these identities to conceal their identity from the public, so that they can focus on their craft instead of worrying about being recognized for it.
Many people also use a pseudonym to avoid getting a reputation for bad behavior. This is the case with famous sports figures like Sugar Ray Leonard and Butch Cassidy, as well as artists who write under a pen name, such as Banksy.
Historically, pseudonyms have been used by women to separate their identities from their art. This was the case with Emily Bronte, who published her novels in the 19th century under the guises of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell.
Social Media
Social media is a platform that enables users to share information, pictures, and videos. It is also a great tool for business, as it can be used to advertise and promote products, services, or events.
In some cases, the content posted by social media users can be “viral,” meaning that it has the potential to spread widely from user to user. This can help create a following or audience for an artist, and in some cases, it can lead to sales.
As the popularity of social media increases, so does the risk that the content shared will be interpreted differently by different people. This can lead to a loss of privacy for some users, and can also be dangerous.
Street Art
Street art is a type of art that is often created on the streets of cities around the world. It is a form of popular art that expresses political and social themes, and often reflects on issues within the community.
Street artworks can be anything from spray-painted tags, stickers, and knitted fibers wrapping telephone poles to monumental painted murals covering entire buildings. Reflections on political and social issues are a common theme in street art, and it can be a great way for artists to get their message out there without worrying about whether or not it will be accepted by the public.
Many well-known artists started their careers by creating street art, for example, Gordon Matta-Clark and Jenny Holzer. They often went to great lengths to protect their identity and not let the hawk-eyed investigators of the internet find out about their personal details.
Creating Music
Creating music is often an enigmatic and highly personal experience. It is a difficult, complex, and demanding process that requires an individual to explore the deepest and most intimate parts of themselves.
In this context, artists also have to contend with the challenge of performing live. This introduces new tensions and uncertainties, such as the potential for mistakes or audience misperception, leading to the divergence of the song’s personal meaning.
This struggle is inextricably linked to the musicians’ identity work in relation to ‘being’ as an artist and attempting to make authentic artistic works that represent their private or backstage sense of self.
This is an ongoing, and irresolvable, tension. The ‘why’ of this struggle in identity work is thus the perceived need to offer a mediating narrative of the self, which is still ‘owned’, but allows the artist to feel less exposed to the experience of encountering the audience and its reactions to the performed musical work.