In the world of street art, Bambi has it all: critical acclaim, celebrity clients ranging from Brad Pitt to Adele, and a stencil of Amy Winehouse on the street in Camden that's considered to be so culturally important, it is now preserved under a fine layer of plastic. She has achieved this by projecting a distinctly female voice into the male-dominated world of urban etchings.
“Most people like her work because it is through a woman's eyes, so it comes out a little bit differently from other street art,” explains Michael Sakhai, director of London's Walton Fine Arts and sole agent for Bambi originals.
Each piece mixes subtle cultural messages with a hint of whimsy. In I Wish (pictured) a small girl asks Santa for “an end to world hunger, poverty, animal cruelty and a set of Little Mix dolls”. In a portrait of Kate Middleton, Foreseeable Reign, Britain's future Queen is pictured holding a parasol.
In the new exhibition When Banksy Met Bambi, her works are being displayed alongside those of the street-art superstar for the first time.
“However much you hear from hardcore Banksy collectors about her being a copycat, it is something new and extremely different”, says Sakhai. “Banksy is more 90s. It is a very different era: hardcore political – real street art on the cutting edge. With Bambi it is a fusion of pop and street.”
When Banksy Met Bambi, Walton Fine Arts, London, SW3, until 30 April
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