This Sydney high school graduate is not your ordinary Insta-celebrity. He, unlike most, has remained anonymous due to the nature of his work, reminiscent of world-famous graffiti artist, Banksy.

The SMH and ABC have labeled him as a "tunnel rat."

“Personally, I wouldn’t call myself a ‘tunnel rat.’ I would call myself an urban explorer,” says Ben.

The demographics of Sydney’s urban exploration culture mostly consists of young people like Ben. Instead of finding pleasure in drugs and alcohol, they get a thrill out of exploring or scaling man-made structures. Underground train platforms, rooftops, bridges, tunnels and abandoned ruins are their natural "high."

They use photography and Instagram as a platform with the aim to reveal a different kind of beauty in the urban setting. However, this often means trespassing, the risk of arrest and even endangering their lives.

So far, Ben’s most daring experience has been illegally scaling Manhattan Bridge at night with the temperature at -11C.

“It was awful. That’s one word to put it. Imagine climbing up a bridge that’s huge, wet, freezing cold and extremely windy ... The way I see life is every time you step out of the door, drink a cup of water, eat food – you’re sort of risking it because there will always be some trouble. So the way I view it is 'Why are you risking it and what for?' I don’t want to go to sandy beaches ... I try to find the beauty in things no one would ever pay attention to,” Ben told the International Business Times.

Ben has done what most people would have seen in movies – run away from police, security and rail rescue crews. He has jumped fences, sidestepped motion sensors and dodged CCTV sensors. He has learned how to remain calm from these chases from his seven-year experience at a boarding school in Dharamsala, India.

The adrenaline-junkee has gathered a massive 30k Instagram following under the name of @GKHZ.

“Having a large following personally is like being rich in monopoly. It doesn’t mean sh*t. But it’s a compliment for sure because you have a football stadium for the amount of people that like your stuff. And it leads to stuff; I reckon that’s amazing ... I did not join Instagram to work for major corporations, so that was never in the back of my mind when I started.”

Ben’s resume is impressive. At just 17, he has already worked with several major corporations and record labels. He does not plan to head to university given his recent negotiations with a major company (of which he is not allowed to reveal … yet).

“Once this contract gets signed … that would change everything.”

Despite giving up all illegal acts, he doesn’t plan on quitting being an urban explorer. “My father doesn’t encourage it, but he supports it so it’s like you’d-rather-know-where-your-kid-is type of thing rather than him lying to you – and you get a call that he’s arrested or something. But my mum is completely against it.”

Ben has already explored urban structures in New York and Tokyo for his photography. His next goal is to visit Hong Kong, Barcelona and travel to the Himalayas.

According to Ben, the practice of urban exploration is unfortunately dwindling. Ben believes this is due to the international terrorist threats and increased security in the tunnel system.

“I just want my photos to trigger emotion. If you feel something from it, then that means I’m doing my job right.”

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au