The first Banksy “exhibition” in London took place on Rivington Street on 31 May 2001. Banksy produced twelve stencils. In Banksy’s own words: “We came out of a pub one night arguing about how easy it would be to hold an exhibition in London without asking anyone permission. As we walked through a tunnel in Shoreditch someone said – You’re wasting your time, why would you want to paint pictures in a dump like this?”