No matter where anyone goes, whether a small town or a big city, everyone has seen some form of graffiti. Whether it be random tags, curse words or political statements, the spray-paint art is hard to ignore. One street artist in particular has put graffiti on the map in terms of truly being seen as art: the anonymous Banksy.
“Love is in the Bin” was the iconic mural that shredded itself after being purchased for 1.4 million dollars in 2018. The news caused an uproar throughout the art community and extreme interest in the general public. Banksy was officially a household name despite creating art since the 1990s.
Most may not have kept up with the street artist, but he’s been extremely active. In late 2022, he painted a series of murals in Ukraine, protesting the Russian invasion of the country and spreading a general ‘anti-war’ message. The art is seen amongst the rubble – an old man in a bathtub – and in the less-destroyed cities – two kids “sitting” on a metal tank strap, seesawing on it.
For Valentine’s Day in 2023, Banksy created the “Valentine’s Day mascara” mural, calling out the realities of domestic violence. The original mural used a freezer and pieces of broken furniture for the 3D element, along with the painting of a 1950s housewife and two feet sticking out of the freezer on the wall. However, the 3D elements were removed due to safety concerns.
In December, the artist unveiled a creation located on a STOP sign in south London. The sign was completely normal, except for three 3D planes, resembling military drones, going across it. This installation is believed to be a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian city that has been under siege since early October 2023. Due to the fact the piece was on a public street and not painted onto the sign, the installation was stolen an hour after the unveiling.
The artist has been silent since the STOP sign piece, allowing the overnight arrival of the “Finsbury Park Tree” mural in north London to shock the world. Many woke up that morning, looking out their apartment window expecting to see the barren tree that was recently pruned, or pollarded. Except, on the morning of March 18, the sheared tree had been given ‘leaves’ – the artist used green paint on the building’s white wall, resembling the tree’s foliage. Next to it stands a woman with a pressure washer, seemingly filled with green paint.
Like his previous murals, the artist confirmed the work was his on his Instagram; fans are still searching for the meaning of it but believe it could fall along the lines of biodiversity loss and the struggles nature is going through.
Unfortunately, the art was vandalized two days later, as someone had splashed white paint over it. The owner of the building that Banksy painted on has put up plastic covers and surveillance cameras to prevent something else from happening.
If Banksy is following a pattern, there may be another mural sometime this year; people everywhere need to keep an eye out for impactful murals. After all, there are only two questions when it comes to his work: where will it be and what does it mean?
