Banksy has become a cultural icon with his signature street art and supreme anonymity. His creations are often effortlessly detailed or poignantly simple, appearing overnight and turning the side of a building into a canvas for personal, political and social messages.

While some have tried to track down the elusive artist, they have had little success, leaving the details of Banksy's identity — and gender — up in the air. But regardless of whether Bansky is a woman or man, the art always embodies a specific vision and proves that Banksy is the artist of our generation. Instead of stiff portraits lining the walls of museums, the artist's work sparks questions about today's most pressing questions, like the technology-saturated world we live in, abuse of power, environmental depletion and more. Banksy always pulls this off in an aesthetically edgy fashion while pushing conversations forward.

The upcoming HBO documentary Banksy Does New York offers a close look at the artist's one-month residency in the city last October. The film airs on Nov. 17, but until then, check out these images that showcase Banksy's work.

Is technology ruining us or saving us?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Are human beings inherently violent? Or does the world make us so?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Facebook/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

How does capitalism affect our understanding of the world and each other?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Facebook/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Have we ruined the environment beyond repair?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Facebook/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Can children retain their innocence?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Facebook/Facebook

Is love real?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Can we live in a world where religion can be peaceful?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

What does it mean to be a woman?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Do our armed forces protect us or persecute us?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Facebook/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Can't we just all get along?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

What does it all mean?

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook

Unofficial: Banksy/Facebook