Discovered on a wall in Margate and incorporating the rubbish scattered on the ground into its composition, this work denounced domestic violence.
The work will have been even more ephemeral than Valentine’s Day: Banksy unveiled a mural on the theme of domestic violence in the south-east of England on Tuesday. But it was quickly weathered by overzealous cleaners. In this mural by the mysterious street artist in the seaside resort of Margate, a housewife can be seen in a 1950s or 1960s look, disfigured by a black eye and a broken tooth. Beside her, the legs of a man seem to protrude from an old, very real freezer, leaning against the wall. On the ground around them are scattered objects, such as an old frying pan, a broken chair or an old bottle.
The work, titled Valentine’s Day Mascarawas claimed by the artist on his Instagram account on February 14, a day considered in many countries as the feast of lovers.
Amanda Barden, 56-year-old resident interviewed by AFP, finds the work “fantastic”. “It’s a real subject that people can talk about domestic violence. The reference to Valentine’s Day also concerns people, it will open the dialogue.she believes.
But at midday, men posing as agents working for Thanet District Council, which administers the town, removed the old freezer and other items, making it difficult to understand the artwork’s message about the domestic violence. The images showing the removal of these objects aroused indignant reactions on social networks, while on the spot, passers-by expressed their astonishment and incomprehension.
“People were saying: stop, stop, you know it’s a Banksy right?», says Laura Holden, a resident of Margate who attended the scene. She wonders if this intervention by the municipal services was premeditated: “Maybe Banksy had it all planned out from the start.” Questioned by AFP just before the removal of the objects, the mayor of Margate, Heather Keen, affirmed that the city was going “seeking how to protect (the work) and preserve it, because we are very proud to have it here”.
During the day, men posing as working for the district of Thanet in south-east England removed the freezer from the wall, blurring the message of the artist’s work. WILLIAM EDWARDS / AFP
Questioned by AFP, the municipality explained that the device had been removed “for security reasons because it was located in the public space”. “The freezer has been put away and will be put back as soon as it has been secured. We will contact the owner of the wall to discuss ways to preserve the artwork.”she explained.
“Commodification” of art
Three years ago, the mysterious artist from Bristol who works under a pseudonym, had already painted a work for Valentine’s Day: a little girl firing a catapult at a bouquet of red flowers. In 2018, a painting by Banksy titled The Balloon Girl had partially self-destructed during its auction, thanks to a crusher concealed in the frame, causing amazement throughout the world.
Banksy intended to denounce the “commodification” of art, via this performance. Re-sale under the new name of Love is in the trash (Love is in the bin), it was finally bought for 21.8 million euros, a record for the artist. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Banksy has given his support to the Ukrainians. In January, he put up for sale 50 serigraphs intended to raise funds for the benefit of civilians.
The artist had also posted in mid-November on his Instagram account a video compiling his stenciled works in the country, including the one representing an individual wearing a gas mask in Gostomel, thus confirming to be the author.
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