Do you remember a couple of months ago we went to visit a new Banksy which had sprung up on our local high street? I was shocked to read about it on the BBC website as it’s currently for sale in America with a huge price tag.
The Banksy, known as Slave Labour, appeared just before the Diamond Jubilee last year. Everybody was talking about it and it was quickly covered with a sheet of perspex to preserve it. I always looked out for it when we went past and was proud of the fact there was something so exciting and contemporary in Wood Green.
We went to look today and there’s just a fresh piece of plaster where it’s been removed. A bottle top has been stuck in the plaster and some new graffiti has appeared next to it.
When we went to visit there were a couple of camera crews and photographers, as well as lots of locals saying how disappointed they were. It’s a real shame but inevitable I suppose when anything by Banksy commands such a high price tag.
I wonder what Banksy thinks about his street art being removed and sold? Does the owner of the wall profit or does Banksy get the money from the sale? How do you go about proving you are Banksy? So many questions but I agree it is a real shame that these pieces of street art aren’t allowed to fulfill their original purpose.
It is quite a controversial artist, mostly because what he is doing is not perceived as an “art” for many people, I guess…
I think it’s a shame he paints for free and people want to make money by taking them away.