The key to seeing his new mural

Three days ago “Strange” mural. It began attracting passers-by in a nearby urban area In Finsbury Park in North London. The “abstract” work depicts a “blob of green paint” behind a pruned tree and is “accompanied” by a stencil showing a person holding a spray tool in hand.

Before the identity of the project was confirmed, the residents of Hornsey Rd They told the BBC How lucky they feel that their neighborhood was chosen for this particular mural. James Beck, creator of the BBC podcast series “Banksy's story”From the beginning, he suspected that the creator was the famous and unknown graffiti artist whose work was being presented.

In reality, Via Banksy's official profile On Instagram, the “identity” of creativity was confirmed, in a post depicting what came before and after.

Corbyn and sabotage

The bottom line is how In order to properly perceive the work, one must distance oneself from it. In this case, close-ups and selfies are meaningless, although hundreds of passers-by rushed to take pictures at the spot as soon as they learned that the “signed” artist was Banksy. The green color behind the pruned cherry symbolizes the missing foliage not only from the tree itself But also from the wider urban area of ​​North Islington. Jeremy Corbyn even described the area in question as… “The most densely populated electoral district in the country”.

“Banksy has come to Islington! What a wonderful piece of art proving that there is hope for nature everywhere. Corbyn added In his post on X (formerly Twitter), about an area considered very degraded.

In essence, it is a distorted work of art that requires the viewer to see it as a whole, from a distance, while for it to work symbolically, it must be examined within the broader context in which it is embedded. It is noted that recently there are many who are trying To steal Banksy's works As was the case with the bombproof road sign, However, his mural on Hornsey Road fell victim to vandalism.

With increasing reactions on social media.

Regarding the criticism that also escalated on social media about why the tree was presented in this image, Islington Council claimed That the cherry in question is “in a state of deterioration” and shows signs of illness and that they are making every effort to save it, So are the rest of the trees in the wider area, which are also cut down because they are diseased. What Banksy is trying to “say” here is that green is essential and must be preserved in every way, within and outside the urban fabric.

The success of Banksy's anonymity

In every case Every new Banksy “appearance” is new news Alone, and as it continues To not reveal his identityalways finds ways to become the focus of public debate With his art alone.

John Brandler, Director of Brandler Art Gallery However, he announced his anonymity as Banksy how “It is appropriate for him to remain anonymous.” So he can trade freely despite his reputation.

“For the art world, it doesn't matter anymore. The brand is already huge. Even if he revealed his identity, it wouldn't matter much about his work and its messages, and it wouldn't change anything radically.” The statements he makes through street art are very powerful on a “marketing” level. “It overwhelmed the interest and discussions without anyone knowing who he was,” Brandler asserts, adding Whether we are talking about an individual, or we are talking about a group, Accuracy has been a given for years and has a global reach. banksy creations, It is not for sale, With some of them being sold at public auction after being removed without consent, or being allocated for charitable purposes.

However, according to research conducted by Queen Mary University of London, Banksy has been identified as “Robin Gunningham.” With Bristol as his home area (hence the rumors that Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja is actually behind the “brand”).