Elusive street artist Banksy has broken his silence with an eight word reply after a mystery mural appeared overnight in a UK city.
A new mural depicting Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz sprang up overnight on the side of a bar in Birmingham – and delighted locals in England’s ‘second city’ had high hopes that it was a new creation from one of the UK’s most famous artists.
The picture shows Dorothy reaching for some shiny red shoes on a wire and People were excited because it looked like something Banksy would do. Phil Oldershaw, who runs the Sidewalk bar, said there was a big fuss about it. He wants to keep the painting safe with a clear cover.
Phil Oldershaw said he ran to see the artwork after someone told him about it. It just showed up one day.
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Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
He previously said: “We don’t know where it’s come from. It wasn’t there when the manager locked up last night. It’s still a mystery.”
He added: “I’ve asked our maintenance team to go and cover it in perspex – I’m going to protect it whether it’s Banksy or not.”
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But in a blow to the art-loving locals, Banksy’s team told Birmingham Live that he didn’t make the mural.
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Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
Banksy issued an eight word reply, saying: “This work is not by the artist Banksy.”
It is still unknown who painted Dorothy.
Banksy’s most recent confirmed artwork was spotted on a building in Finsbury Park, north London, back in March. The last time Banksy visited Birmingham was in 2019, when he left a striking mural in the Jewellery Quarter.
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PA)
It showed two reindeers running, sending a strong message about homelessness.
Sadly, the artwork was vandalised within hours of its reveal, with the reindeers being sprayed to have red noses. News of a new mural in the Gay Village came out on the same day council workers painted over a tribute mural to poet Benjamin Zephaniah near Hockley underpass.
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PA)
The large artwork was covered because it was on a wall not specifically protected by an order. The artist behind the new mural in the Gay Village is still unknown.