White paint was mysteriously added to Banksy’s brand-new mural in Finsbury Park last night, with fences put up around the piece this morning, and talk of protective glass to shield the work. Islington Now spoke to onlookers at the mural this afternoon.
One woman, Geraldine, travelled all the way from Essex to see Banksy’s new work. She met Eleri, another fan, at the mural.
“It’s like our own little festival here, people are talking, Eleri and I have never met before. I can’t understand how nobody sees Banksy do them!” Geraldine said.
Eleri appreciated the new splatters of white paint. She said: “It’s an evolution – it might just be adding to it, or it might be a protest… Either way, it’s in keeping with the original dripping paint, which is better than a tag of some sort.”
Eleri added that the white paint “feels very similar to when he defaced his own artwork”, referring to when Banksy’s 2006 painting of Girl with Balloon was partly shredded live at auction in 2018, immediately after the gavel drop, becoming Love is in the Bin.
Local artist Daniel, who Islington Now spoke to yesterday, was back to document the white paint in another sketch. “It’s adding an extra storyline, and doesn’t really detract from the artwork,” he said.
Jack, a visiting student from Oklahoma, told us that “it’s not the most attractive looking tree, and he’s made it into an interesting reflection on nature”.
Another onlooker, Neil, said: “My initial reaction was that it’s a shame that someone has tried to deface it…but I like the idea that over the next several months, the artist will return and carry on developing it, and then we’ll get to see the full picture.”
Carlos, 40, who lives in the ground floor flat next-door to the mural, told us about his experience of the last three days.
When Carlos arrived home on Sunday afternoon to a commotion outside his flat, he was pleasantly surprised.
“It’s been busy, but fun. People have been asking me all kinds of questions. Somebody asked if I was Banksy! Another said I should sell beers from my window. A third person told me I should put the flat on Airbnb – a ‘Banksy BnB’, a beautiful flat with an original Banksy outside!” he said.
Carlos was standing at his window, chatting with visitors, for much of the day. He said: “People have been very respectful. For me as an immigrant, it’s been a great opportunity to mingle, to feel like I really belong to this community.”
Asked whether he thinks his rent will go up, Carlos said: “I haven’t heard from my landlord yet! So far, so good.”
