Graffiti attributed to secretive British artist Banksy depicting a child wielding a machine gun, in black and white surrounded by colored flowers, is spotted in Westwood. Credit: Gabriel Bouys / AFP /Getty Images / Feb. 17, 2011

The elusive graffiti artist Banksy, whose film "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is nominated for an Academy Award (pictured at right, c/o Paranoid Pictures), made his mark in the underground art scene by developing an anti-establishment persona -- one that's shrouded from the public eye. So it's not surprising that, while the rest of the Oscar nominees prepare for Sunday's Academy Awards with interviews and appearances and talk of dazzling gowns, Banksy has gone counterculture. Forget full-page ads in Variety. He's building buzz with new graffiti art popping up all over L.A. (See photos after the jump.)

But in a town that devotes an entire season to the Oscars, and treats the event as a sacred holiday, has Banksy gone too far? Not at all, says our editorial board:

Oscar campaigns are all about visibility — a carefully calibrated amount, of course — and self-promotion. But Banksy is managing to mock the rituals and the self-seriousness of the Academy Awards even as he promotes himself. As best we can tell, he doesn't crave true invisibility, nor is he issuing any Garbo-esque demands to be left alone. He's playing a coy "Where's Banksy?" game, and so far, it's been fun to watch. If Academy officials are worried that Banksy might do something bizarre on Oscar night, our advice is not only to get over that but to invite him back next year as a presenter.

Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman couldn't agree more [via Yahoo]. "[A] little dose of Banksy is exactly what Hollywood, and the Academy Awards, need. It's just what the doctor ordered to wake up a notoriously too-staid ceremony."

Find more photos after the jump.

--Alexandra Le Tellier