Residents of a London neighborhood crowded around a new Banksy mural on Monday, taking photos and selfies.
The new work from the prolific street artist can be seen on a four-story building in the Finsbury Park neighborhood. A person can be seen holding a hose, with green paint across the wall appearing to signify the leaves of the bare and chopped tree standing in front of it.
Many online took an environmental message from the painting, particularly as the tree, possibly a cherry tree, appears to have had most of its branches sawn clean off.
The street artist claimed the work by posting before and after photos on the official Banksy Instagram account.
“Banksy has come to Islington! What wonderful artwork, proving there is hope for our natural world everywhere,” Former Labour leader and current MP for the area Jeremy Corbyn wrote alongside photos on X, formerly Twitter.
Banksy has never confirmed their identity, but began their guerrilla graffiti career in England before going on to become the world’s best-known street artist, whose work has sold for millions of dollars at auction.
Murals created by Banksy on outdoor sites are often stolen, but the latest one will likely be saved from theft since it needs the tree to make sense. Sometimes property owners remove the works, but Alex Georgiou, whose company owns the building, told the Associated Press he “definitely” plans on keeping it up “and letting people enjoy it.”
Story via TMX