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On the grey, rainy Monday morning, this normally quiet corner of Finsbury Park had become a circus. Local journalists and politicians flocked to the site after the mural appeared on Sunday. TO Banksy expert ran over and declared that it was the probable work of the artist. Neighbors shared photos in chat groups; An unusual crowd gathered to take selfies and give interviews to journalists.
There were other questions besides the provenance of the mural. What would it mean for the neighborhood? Banksy’s work appeared on a wall right next to Christie Court, a local authority-run housing block in the borough of Islington, where poor and working-class families live alongside very wealthy residents. “Banksy arrived overnight and now my rent is going to skyrocket,” one person posted on social media with an upside-down smiley face emoji.
And then, of course, questions arose about the meaning of the artwork itself.
“It’s been done for a purpose: to get people talking, to get people interested,” said Jeremy Corbyn, a member of Parliament representing North Islington and former leader of the British Labor Party, who arrived near the mural on Hornsey Road. Around 10:30 a.m. he was immediately surrounded by cameras and onlookers.
But talk about what and be interested in what? Banksy’s anti-establishment street art has achieved global notoriety in recent years, and curiosity about the artist himself has lent an aura of mystery to his work. However, Banksy rarely (if ever) explains the meaning behind his street art, leaving it up to the public to interpret for themselves. This makes reaching a definitive conclusion about any Banksy work a complicated task.
Banksy’s own photographs of the work were untitled on social media.
“It’s typical Banksy,” said Jenna Edwards, 31, a local resident who came to see the mural when she heard about it in the neighborhood. Edwards believes it is a symbol of unity. “It doesn’t matter if the branches and leaves fall off, as long as we get to the root and all come together, we can grow back better,” she said of the tree and its painted foliage.
Jonathan Ward, 55, a local resident and community activist, believes the mural conveys an environmental message. Ward said the young man painted on the wall “appears to be holding herbicide spray,” in what could be a reference to the “damaging effect” of products such as glyphosate.
Some observers noted that the green tone of the paint is similar to the shade used by Islington Council, the district authority in charge, on street signs. Others said it was a reference to St. Patrick’s Day, which was Sunday.
Rafael Schacter, associate professor of anthropology and material culture at University College London, said in an email that the mural was “one of the best Banksy works I have seen in a long time” and felt “genuinely site-specific.” .
“The brutally pollarded tree against the smooth side wall of the adjacent building on which it sits provides a truly perfect backdrop,” he said, speculating that the work was a statement on the debate over how to best maintain and care for trees. He said the use of color and technique “in which manually pumped garden pressure sprayers are reused to paint graffiti – something that is done similarly with fire extinguishers – is a nice touch in terms of the relationship with …its use in gardening, often for weeding.”
It quickly became an attraction. A group of 23-year-olds heard about the mural that morning and came to take a look. “It’s the first time I’ve seen (a Banksy) in person,” said one.
At a local coffee shop and bakery called Jolene, the barista told customers about the mural while handing them their coffee and directing them to the right place. Young people working on their laptops talked about who they thought did it.
In recent years, Banksy’s public art has sometimes provoked extreme reactions in the communities where it has appeared: Last year, The Washington Post reported that the district council of Margate, a coastal town in eastern England, dismantled a Banksy installation timed for Valentine’s Day, prompting an outcry from residents who called it an overreach. by its local government at the expense of art that could attract tourists his people.
And in December, two people were arrested after a piece of Banksy’s work went missing: a stop sign in London adorned with what appeared to be drones.
Islington City Council told the Washington Post in an email that its “graffiti removal team is aware of the artwork” by Banksy “and will not be removing it.”
The mural “has caused a real stir in Islington and beyond, and we want the artwork to remain for people to enjoy,” Roulin Khondoker, executive member of Islington Council for Equality, Culture, said in the email. and inclusion. “We want to find more ways to tell important stories through art and culture.”
Adela Suliman and Anumita Kaur contributed to this report.