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.