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Hackney to whitewash Banksy's murals
Evening Standard29.10.07
Some of graffiti artist Banksy's most famous work is going to be washed away by council cleaners.
Hackney council has declared war on the artist even though the area has become a favourite location for the Bristol-born artist whose stencils can sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Art tourists regularly visit the east London borough armed with maps showing the locations of his work.
But a council spokesman said: "We can't make a decision on whether something is art or graffiti. The Government judges us on the number of clean walls we have."
A year ago, two officially sanctioned Banksy stencils were meant to be unveiled at the opening of a new square in the borough but over-eager council staff washed them away two days before the opening ceremony.
The council apologised and it was believed Hackney had drawn up a list of graffiti sites for staff so they knew to leave them alone.
But councillor Alan Laing said: "It is a myth that Hackney has a list of protected street art. Some might see graffiti as street art but to most people it is just vandalism."
Banksy's Space Girl And Bird sold at Bonhams for £288,000 in April - his most expensive single piece.
Reader views (10)
Hackney Council is so backward in their policy on Banksy - his work is going to be revered for years to come and they're erasing it all. No wonder the place is such a hole - they don't deserve brilliance.
- Richard, London, UK
I passed the "girl sliding down a drainpipe art" every day on the bus and it used to make me smile!
How can the council say what is there now (a big ugly smudge) is better?
I still pass the wall every day - but now i feel depressed at how short sighted people are.
For God's sake have some common sense and appreciate beauty when you see it.
Elizabeth
- Elizabeth Mcleary, London
I think people who want this art removed need to look at the bigger picture these are amazing art peices an the people who draw them are admired for there Creativity.
- Kirst, Suffolk
Why look at a wall when you can look at art on a wall?
His work is interesting and intelligent, the only people who want it off the wall are the ones that can't face truth.
- Claire, Glasgow, Scotland
Whitewashing Banksy's work would be like erasing a part of the British culture. His work brightens up the dreary Urban City landscape we live in and creates something interesting to look at.
- Beverly Small, London, UK
Getting rid of artwork such as this is just a pure sign of ignorance.
- Robyn, Essex
Graffiti changes the dull, unpleasent urban enviroment into something far more human and interesting, removing it or trying to mask it shows a lack of foresight and intelligence.
- Tom, Portsmouth
You can't really compare a work of public art, to a rubbish scribble that doesn't mean anything.
- Matthew Freedman, London UK
I agree with the above - there's lots of different kidns of grafitti, and most of it is rubbish. Banksy's work is a good example of art, that is really art, because it challenges our ideas, gets us out of our comfort zone, and bottom line makes us laugh. Don't enshrine it, but don't "clean" it up!
- Jez451, Chelmsford, UK
As for covering over these works, it happened a while back near Borough Market too. Given that Banksy's work sells for so much they should be preserved. And it looks a whole lot better than the usual tagging we see so much of.
- Dan, London UK
