Fortress-like protections have been erected around a new Banksy in Islington, north London, to the annoyance of locals. After a vandal splashed the mural with white paint, the building’s owner has put up plastic sheeting and wooden boards, all but hiding the artwork from public view.
Banksy’s splattering of green paint on the side of an otherwise nondescript townhouse is arranged to look like the missing leaves of a nearby cherry tree, which is apparently decaying and has been harshly trimmed by the local council of Islington. At ground level, the street artist added a stenciled figure with a spray can and a hose, who appears to be looking up at their handiwork. The mural appeared two weeks ago and was vandalized within a couple of days after it was verified as a Banksy.
Initially, Islington council installed a high metal fence around the work to make it harder to access on foot. It is also installing surveillance cameras to dissuade future acts of vandalism.
Apparently unsatisfied with these measures, the building’s owner, who is now also the artwork’s legal owner, has taken matters into their own hands. Over the top of the mural they have installed a plastic screen as an initial layer of protection. Additionally, they have surrounded the artwork with tall plywood boards. This barrier has gaps filled with transparent plastic panels so that passersby can peek through to see the work.
It is not surprising that the owner is keen to preserve the work. Earlier this month, a restored Banksy that had been originally spray painted onto an east London office block in 2006 was given a high estimate of $890,000 by a Newcastle auction house. The same house had previously sold another Banksy original, The Merrivale Stable, in 2022.
The evidently obstructive wooden structure erected by the building’s avaricious owner has caused consternation among locals. A woman called Mary Dickenson told the BBC, “they’ve blocked everything off now, so you can’t really see anything.”
“What I see is a disaster,” added Güley Polat, a German tourist and Banksy superfan who traveled to see the street artist’s latest masterpiece. “It seems like we are in prison. I think Banksy doesn’t want to have his street art in a prison.”
“It’s street art, it should be accessible to everybody,” another member of the public told the Daily Mail. “I think Banksy would be laughing that they’ve boxed it off so people in the street won’t be able to see it.”
A spokesperson for Islington council told the BBC that the site had been attracting a high number of visitors, creating a disturbance for local residents. “We will monitor and review arrangements at the site, and will continue to explore future solutions with the building owner so people can enjoy the artwork,” they said.
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