R.A. – Banksy unofficial

2025, The Walled Off Hotel

Walled Off Hotel reopened. 11 December 2025

11 December, 202516 December, 2025by R.A.

Screenshot: https://walledoffhotel.com

The Walled Off closed its doors after the tragic events on 7 October 2023 and the ensuing genocide on civilians. Two years and two months later, the hotel has now officially reopened. The link to Walled Off on Banksy’s website, www.banksy.co.uk, is now active again after being idle for more than two years, and it redirects to the hotel’s official website: https://walledoffhotel.com

How to get to The Walled Off Hotel

The Walled Off Hotel is in Bethlehem, only 7 km from downtown Jerusalem and less than 2 hours from Tel Aviv Airport by public transportation. At Tel Aviv Airport, there is a railway station on the fast-train line connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The ride to Jerusalem is 40 minutes. From Jerusalem Central Station, several buses go to Checkpoint 300, which is the only passage to Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Bus lines 163, 299, and 504 will take you to the Checkpoint, and it should take no more than 30 minutes. You will have no problem walking through the Checkpoint if you have your passport and the visa paper they gave you at the airport immigration. From Checkpoint 300, it’s a 400 m walk to the Walled of Hotel at 182 Caritas Street. There are plenty of taxis after the checkpoint as well.

Is it safe to travel to Bethlehem?

The British Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Gaza and the West Bank, except for: East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho and all areas which lie south of it (this includes the Allenby crossing). More info here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/palestine

Bethlehem is safe, and it will remain so for many reasons. Although Bethlehem is in the West Bank, an occupied territory just like Gaza, the West Bank and Gaza are two different realities. There is no Hamas presence on the West Bank. And, contrary to the media hysteria and the disinformation mayhem on social media, the Palestinians are as friendly and peaceful as the Europeans, or even more so. You will be surprised.

Maybe the crucial reason it is safe to visit is that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem 2025 years ago. The Nativity Church and many other historical sites in the West Bank are first-rate tourist destinations for Christians worldwide. Even as an atheist, one has to recognise that Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho and other places on the West Bank are central to Western civilisation. Therefore, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) or any other armed group would never bomb or attack Bethlehem – public outcry would be too loud. Do remember that the West Bank is home to many thousands of Christian Palestinians, direct descendants of the people who became Christians at the time of Jesus, 2000 years ago. Also, Bethlehem is only 7 km from Jerusalem’s Old Town – maybe the most historically significant place on earth and a true symbol of peaceful co-existence between Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Also, see previous post: https://banksyunofficial.com/2017/04/17/the-walled-off-hotel-palestine-march-2017/

2025, Originals, UK

Never before seen Banksy sculpture at Pure Evil show in London. 20 November 2025

2 December, 20254 December, 2025by R.A.

The sculpture is on display at Artmageddon, a group show at Pure Evil Gallery on Leonard Street in Shoreditch.

Banksy gifted the bouquet to Charles Uzzel Edwards, a.k.a. Pure Evil, after having suffered a personal loss in 2024. Pure Evil and Banksy’s working relationship goes way back – Pure Evil was involved with Pictures on Walls and the Santas Ghetto exhibitions. He was also one of the invited artists at the Cans Festival, a collective street art exhibition organised by Banksy in May 2008.

Photo: Pure Evil Gallery

2025, Fakes

Pest Control warns of upcoming fake exhibition in London. 22 October 2025

26 October, 20255 December, 2025by R.A.

Unauthorised exhibitions of fake Banksy artwork are a constant headache for Team Banksy and their legal guardian, the Pest Control Office. One element in this battle is the warning Pest Control posted on Wednesday, 22 October, on their website https://pestcontroloffice.com, about a new, unauthorised fake exhibition in London:

“The new Banksy show in London is not a show by Banksy. The artist wasn’t asked about it, hasn’t contributed to it and won’t issue refunds if you didn’t like it.”

There are two types of unauthorised Banksy exhibitions: those featuring authentic studio artwork sourced from serious collectors, and those with copies and fakes. The ones with copies and fakes have been touring all over Europe and the US, but now it seems to be the first time one of these fake shows has appeared on Banksy’s home turf. On the other hand, in recent years, there have been several unauthorised exhibitions in the UK with authentic Banksy artwork, such as the ongoing exhibition at MOCO in Marble Arch, or one in Covent Graden in 2021. One can assume that these unauthorised exhibitions featuring authentic Banksy artwork are not very popular with the Banksy camp, but they are nevertheless honest and well-executed.

The same can not be said of the exhibition mentioned by Pest Control. There is a big difference: Not only do they display shoddy copies of Banksy studio work and bad reproductions of street art pieces, but they also market the exhibition as if they had authentic pieces:

*Screenshot from the fake exhibition website: https://banksylimitless.com/london/*

One can wonder how it is possible to market a show with fakes as “Museum Quality”? And make promises like these:

“For a limited time, explore hundreds of works by the elusive artist, from originals to large-scale installations. Plus, exclusive pieces reproduced just for this show“?

Of course, there will be no “originals” or “exclusive pieces reproduced just for this show”. There will only be fakes. Are there no marketing laws in the UK nowadays?

See previous post: https://banksyunofficial.com/2022/08/22/all-these-100-fake-banksy-exhibitions-22-august-2022/

2025, Street Art, UK

Judge beating fallen protester. London, 8 September 2025

8 September, 202518 October, 2025by R.A.

A new piece by Banksy was unveiled today at the Royal Courts of Justice, in the heart of London. At first glance, it looks like a version of his Crazy Hippies from Glastonbury 2010. But this time it’s a judge beating a fallen protester with his gavel while the CCTV camera is looking in the other direction. Given the piece’s location—at the UK’s highest court, in the very centre of London, surrounded by surveillance and security—one might suspect that team Banksy was in a rush to complete the work.

The artwork is most likely Banksy’s comment on the mass arrests of 890 non-violent protesters on Saturday, 6 September. BBC did a feature on the piece: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrq0r0y878o

The CCTV camera turned away.

2025, Ephemera, Glastonbury, Prints

Migrant raft poster at Glastonbury. 19 July 2025

19 July, 202518 October, 2025by R.A.

There has been some controversy over whether it is a work by Banksy. We now know it is.

The motive relates to Banksy’s intervention at the 2024 edition of the festival, where he released a migrant raft during The Idles’ set on the main stage. See previous post: https://banksyunofficial.com/2024/07/01/banksy-confirms-migrant-raft-at-glastonbury-30-june-2024/

The poster was on sale for a few days at the La Linterna printshop at Glastonbury, until they sold out. It’s the second year that Team Banksy has collaborated with the Colombian printers. Last year’s posters by Team Banksy were numbers 1 and 4 in the display below:

La Linterna is a historic printing shop located in the San Antonio neighbourhood of Cali, Colombia, founded in 1934. It specialises in the artisanal printing of posters using traditional techniques such as linocut and movable type. The printing shop is notable for preserving antique machines, some from the 19th century. Thanks to their artisanal process, each poster is unique and an authentic work of art. La Linterna has a European branch that collaborates with different summer festivals. Source: https://lalinternacali.com and @lalinternacali

2025, Europe (excl. UK), Street Art

Lighthouse confirmed in Marseille, France. 29 May 2025

29 May, 202518 October, 2025by R.A.8 Comments

The lighthouse is located in the 7ème Arrondissement district, close to the old port of Marseille. Pictures of the piece have circulated on X since 21 May, but it was not officially confirmed until 3 p.m. on Thursday, 29 May.

The motive is most likely related to the rescue boat MV Louise Michel, which is financed by Banksy and named after French teacher and activist Louise Michel, born on this day in 1830:

Source: https://www.instagram.com/louisemichelcrew/

As always with Banksy, there are multiple interpretations: it has also been rumoured to be a tribute to the artist known as “Lonely Farmer”, a ‘cult artist’ who recently passed away and had a special relationship with Team Banksy.

2025, Charity, Street Art

Banksy interviews Tox in the Big Issue. 17 March 2025

18 March, 202518 October, 2025by R.A.

In this week’s edition of The Big Issue, Banksy interviews TOX, one of Britain’s most prolific and notorious graffiti artists. In the interview, Banksy explains why he has used TOX on numerous occasions in his street art:

“In several of my paintings I’ve put your tag in the background,” Banksy says to TOX. “I kind of use it to signify ‘generic urban decay, damage and abandonment’. No offence. I guess I should’ve asked beforehand, but is that OK?”

“I don’t mind,” TOX responds. “I always had people saying, ‘Banksy’s using your name, when are you going to call him and cash in, he owes you money,’ and I was like, ‘Nah I don’t care, he stuck me up, I don’t care, let him do it.’ I just cared about painting graffiti and stealing spray paint and being me init.”

TOX was sentenced to two years in prison in 2011, which inspired Banksy to paint ‘Boy blowing bubbles’ in Camden Town, using a TOX tag as a prop. Interesting link: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jun/07/tox-graffiti-artist-criminal-damage

*Boy blowing bubbles with a TOX tag. Banksy, June 2011.* *Photo: http://www.banksy.co.uk*

This week’s Big Issue is dedicated entirely to graffiti, with TOX’s even more notorious graffiti colleague, 10 Foot, as the temporary editor-in-chief. You can buy the Big Issue here: Big Issue shop.

The Big Issue is a United Kingdom–based street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. The Big Issue is one of the UK’s leading social businesses. It exists to offer homeless people or individuals at risk of homelessness the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, thereby helping them reintegrate into mainstream society. It is the world’s most widely circulated street newspaper. Source: Wikipedia

2024, Originals

Madonna with Child. 16 December 2024

16 December, 202418 October, 2025by R.A.

Team Banksy posted the image on Instagram around 3 pm on Monday, 16 December. Through the years, Banksy has created various renditions of the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus motif. This version on a galvanised steel plate is superb.

The ‘Madonna with Child’ was initially displayed at a private exhibition organised by Pest Control Office in London in February 2024:

*Madonna with Child. Private exhibition, London, February 2024. Photo: Screenshot from UAA Forum*

It’s not the first time Banksy mixes biblical references with politics at Christmas time:

2024, Auctions, Ephemera, USA

Interesting interview with Steve Lazarides about Banksy’s early years. 14 October 2024

15 October, 202418 October, 2025by R.A.

Steve Lazarides undoubtedly has played a significant role in Banksy’s career, both as his agent during his most defining period from 2002 to 2008 and as his photographer. The 30-minute documentary/interview is part of the promotion for an upcoming auction at Julien’s in Los Angeles, where Lazarides is selling a chunk of his unique Banksy collection.

The auction catalogue has some spectacular pieces—original drawings, sketches, handwritten notes, proof screen prints, etc. Here is the link to the auction:

https://www.juliensauctions.com/en/auctions/under-duress-the-banksy-archive-of-steve-lazarides-565

2024, Street Art, UK

Day 9 of London residency: Great escape at London Zoo. 13 August 2024

13 August, 202418 October, 2025by R.A.

Now we know where all the animals came from. The animal kingdom series obviously has a lot to do with the summer riots in London in the previous weeks. One can discern a stoic approach: nature is the only true force, and when you encounter adversity, face it with resilience, humour, and a charitable spirit.

BBC News did a feature on the Animal Kingdom series:

Author: R.A.