Category: UK

2023, Street Art, UK

Valentine’s Day mascara mural. Margate, 14 February 2023

by R.A.

Photos: @banksy

The Valentine’s Day mascara mural appeared in Margate, 100 km east of London, on Tuesday morning, 14 February. The Guardian reported on the dismantling of the artwork the same day:

“A Banksy artwork that was dismantled by a council in Kent “on the grounds of safety” just hours after its unveiling has had its chest freezer returned. The mural, titled Valentine’s Day Mascara, appeared to highlight the issue of domestic violence. It incorporated a freezer, a broken garden chair, a blue crate and an empty beer bottle, which were all removed from the site on Tuesday.”

Why a domestic violence motive on Valentine’s Day? It could have something to do with the big street art exhibition Beyond the Streets at the Saatchi Gallery in London, which opened on 17 February and featured more than 50 of Banksy’s colleagues, among them Shepard Fairey and 3D. As we all know, advertising tycoon Charles Saatchi is the founder and owner of Saatchi Gallery, and Banksy’s views on the advertising industry are well known through his artwork and writings. In 2013, writer Nigella Lawson broke up with Charles Saatchi amidst well-publicised accusations of domestic violence.

2022, Fakes, UK

Banksy vs GUESS. London, 18 November 2022

by R.A.

Fashion retailer GUESS was forced to shut its Regent Street outlet on 18 November, a few hours after Banksy posted the following message on Instagram: “They’ve helped themselves to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?”

In November 2022, Guess announced its collaboration with Brandalised, a company that specialises in licensing popular images to international retailers. This wretched use of Banksy’s art is possible thanks to an unfavourable ruling at the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) in May 2021.

Photos: @banksy and http://www.guess.com

2021, Bristol, Charity, UK

Banksy donates Oscar Wilde stencil to Reading Council. 4 December 2021

by R.A.

The donation was made public on December 4 at an exhibition curated by Grayson Perry at Bristol Museum. Banksy contributed the original stencil for the piece he painted on the wall of Reading GAOL prison in March 2021. The idea is that the Reading Council now sells the stencil and uses the proceeds to turn the derelict prison into a permanent art centre. It’s expected to fetch up to GBP 10 million in a private sale. In Banksy’s own words:

“I had very little interest in Reading until I was on a rail replacement bus service that went past the jail. It’s rare to find an uninterrupted 500m-long paintable surface slap bang in the middle of a town; I literally clambered over the passenger next to me to get a closer look. I promised myself I’d paint the wall even before I knew what it was. I’m passionate about it now, though. Oscar Wilde is the patron saint of smashing two contrasting ideas together to create magic. Converting the place that destroyed him into a refuge for art feels so perfect we have to do it.”

The Oscar Wilde stencil on display at Bristol Museum. Photo: Bristol Museum

2021, Street Art, UK

Oscar Wilde escaping prison in Reading, UK. 1 March 2021.

by R.A.

The piece depicts Oscar Wilde escaping from Reading Gaol, his typewriter knotted to the sheets. Oscar Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading GAOL prison after being convicted of gross indecency in 1895. Wilde was sentenced to two years of forced labour.
The piece has not yet been confirmed by Banksy’s usual channels, but it appears to be authentic. Maybe Banksy’s next big project is a book?

Oscar Wilde on the run. Photograph: Reading Chronicle

 

2020, Bristol, Street Art, UK

“¡¡Achoo!!” in Bristol. 10 December 2020.

by R.A.

There had been some buzz before the piece appeared on the Banksy website http://www.banksy.co.uk on 10 December around 17h. A few hours later, it was published on the official Instagram account @banksy.

Photos: http://www.banksy.co.uk

The Guardian commented the artwork a few hours later:

Bristol owners pull out of sale of house hosting Banksy artwork

The owners of a house in Bristol have apparently pulled out of the sale of the property after a Banksy piece appeared on the wall. On Thursday, the anonymous street artist confirmed he was behind the artwork showing an older woman sneezing out her false teeth, which has appeared on a semi-detached house in steep Vale Street, Totterdown. The stencil mural, Aachoo!!”, had been covered up before its unveiling on Thursday morning. It shows a woman in a headscarf holding a handkerchief but dropping her walking stick and handbag as she loses her dentures while sneezing.

Vale Street is England’s steepest residential street – its 22-degree slope used during annual Easter Sunday egg-rolling competitions. ITV News West Country spoke to the owners of the house, which had a sold sign up outside, and were told they have pulled out of the sale. They were due to exchange contracts next week but the artwork could see the value of their house rocket.

Nicholas Makin, whose mother Aileen owns the property, said people had been climbing over the house to get a better look at the new piece. He told ITV News West Country that his mother was distressed by the attention and they will take time to consider what to do next.

Fred Loosmore, 28, a furniture maker who until recently rented a room in the house, told the PA Media news agency he had put a clear covering over it for protection. “We wanted to come up because people will deface it, and luckily we’ve got a workshop and a massive piece of acrylic we’ve got left over,” he said.

“When we lived here so many people would come, especially on bikes and stuff because they were trying to do the challenge up the hills. It’s a great spot. The artwork is so nice. It’s so relevant, isn’t it?”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/dec/10/bansky-confirms-he-created-aachoo-artwork-in-bristol

2020, Street Art, UK

Banksy confirms the hula-hoop girl in Nottingham. 17 October 2020

by R.A.

The piece first appeared on social media on 14 October. After a few days of speculations about whether a local street artist did it, Banksy confirmed the piece as his on Saturday morning.

Photo: Banksy’s Instagram

The work depicts a girl hula-hooping with a tyre. The tyre once seemed part of the slaughtered bike, the lock chained to the lamppost beside her.
As always, there are many interpretations to be made. One goes like this: Even if you’re struggling with the economy and the pandemic, you can find happiness in the little things. Find new uses for obsolete materialism. A simple but powerful advice from Stoicism?
According to residents of Lenton talking to The Guardian, the bike appeared at the scene at the same time as the artwork.

“Surinder Kaur, 42, who runs the beauty salon next to the mural, said the bike had appeared at the same time as the mural. She said within hours the council had rushed to protect the piece by placing clear plastic sheeting over it. Vandals have spray-painted over the plastic two or three times already. Everyone is very excited and many, many people are coming to see the picture,” Kaur said. “Everyone was confused about whether it was real or not real but it’s an amazing picture, it’s amazing art.”

Excerpt from : https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/oct/17/banksy-confirms-hula-hoop-girl-mural-in-nottingham-is-his

2020, Street Art, UK

Banksy hits the London Underground. 14 July 2020

by R.A.
Photographs: Banksy’s Instagram
Photographs: Banksy’s Instagram

The video of the hit was posted on Banksy’s Instagram on 14 July with the title “London Underground – undergoes deep clean”. It depicts Banksy entering an underground train carriage while dressed as a member of the cleanup crew. Banksy paints a rat sneezing while the other rats struggle to put on their masks. At the end of the clip, we see the words “I get lockdown, but I get up again” spray-painted on the carriage doors, a reference to Chumbawamba’s hit Tubthumping from 1997.

“Transport for London confirmed on Tuesday evening that the work was removed “some days ago” due to strict anti-graffiti policy, but that it would welcome Banksy to recreate his message “in a suitable location”.

The official video of his visit to the London Underground:

London / Banksyfilm

2019, Street Art, UK

A Christmas greeting from Ryan. Birmingham, 9 December 2019

by R.A.

The new mural is a bittersweet Christmas greeting featuring Ryan, a homeless person, being drawn away by two reindeer. The piece appeared in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter last Friday, the 6 December, and was confirmed on Banksy’s Instagram a few days later with a short video. In Banksy’s own words:

“God bless Birmingham. In the 20 minutes we filmed Ryan on this bench passers-by gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter – without him ever asking for anything.”

20191209 - SA - UK - Birmingham - Homeless person Ryan.png
Photograph: Banksy/Instagram

According to  The Guardian on 10 December:

“A commuter who happened to pass by on her way to work on Friday morning claims she saw a man setting up close to the wall. She said: “It was around 7 o’clock on Friday morning when I got off the bus and saw a man giving a few snacks to a homeless man who was sitting on the bench. I wouldn’t have thought it was Banksy, I just thought it was someone helping out the homeless.”

Martin Clarke, a jeweller at Vault 88, claims to have seen two workmen early on Friday morning working on the wall which is directly outside his shop. “I saw a small tent with a couple of lads in high-vis vests early in the morning on Friday. I thought they were from the council and were just doing a bit of upkeep. About half six I looked out the window and the tent had gone as had the lads. Then I saw it.

“I thought it was great. We weren’t sure what it was at first or who did it but we had a good idea.”

–

The official video of the piece in Birmingham:

Bench Birmingham / Banksyfilm

2019, Gross Domestic Product, Originals, Prints, UK

Gross Domestic Product opens for sale. 16 October 2019

by R.A.

Banksy opened his much-anticipated store on 16 October. Among the products on sale are two interesting prints: a three-frame version of Love is in the Air and Banksquiat, a homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat. These are Banksy’s first regular print releases since 2010.

In Banksy’s own words:

“I’m opening a shop. It’s called Gross Domestic Product™. It sells art, homewares and disappointment.”

The items on display are on sale on the website www.grossdomesticproduct.com. Almost all of the items are limited editions. Therefore, a lottery system has been implemented for allocation purposes.

20191016 - Gross Domestic Product 2 - Banksy.png
20191016 - Gross Domestic Product 3 - Banksy.png
20191016 - Gross Domestic Product 4 - Banksy.png
Screenshots: www.grossdomesticproduct.com