New Banksy works have been spotted in LA, which means that he might be in town to attend the Oscars on Sunday and, if he wins, to claim the Best Documentary award for “Exit Through the Gift Shop."  I saw the movie at MoMA last month, which itself is sort of hilarious.  The street artists it celebrates (with the very major exception of Thierry Guetta) are in pursuit of the marginal, the incongruous, and the ephemeral.  They're  not looking for recognition.

Banksy has worked hard to retain his anonymity.  Some British tabloids tried to expose him, publishing washed out shots of a plain-looking, ginger-haired man who very well could be Banksy.  But his presence in "Exit,” obscured with an oversized hoodie and a voice processor, is shrewd and indelible.  My hope is that he wins on Sunday night and stays away.