New Artwork By Banksy Boarded Up: Who Is Covering Up Socio-Political Critique?

A new artwork by the modern world’s most mysterious artist has created a stir in London: the mural’s controversial depiction of recent events in a Calais migrant camp — painted on the exterior of the French Embassy — has seen the work by Banksy boarded up. Applied in Banksy’s trademark covert-operational style, the mural cropped up on the exterior of a boarded-up shop opposite the inner-London embassy building overnight, allowing passers-by a brief window of viewership before it was, itself, boarded up on Monday, January 25.

Banksy’s mural owes its rich metaphorical meaning to the artist’s signature appropriation of a range of powerful symbols from the social, cultural and political spheres. The young, female subject — widely believed to be Cosette, as depicted in posters for the French musical, Les Miserables —sits in front of a French flag, with tears streaming down her cheeks as clouds of gas billow up from a canister below, marked “CS.” Banksy’s new mural — joining the ranks of the artist’s many famed works — which are colloquially called Banksy’s — refers both visually and interactively to the possible use of unethical law enforcement tactics in a refugee camp in Calais, known as “The Jungle.” The image is accompanied by a QR code which, when scanned, brings up a video appearing to show French police using CS tear gas on occupants of “The Jungle” during a raid in early January.

The Banksy was boarded up despite the protests of onlookers on Monday morning, though not due to institutional desire to censor political critique. Contemporary arts hub Widewalls reportsthat artworks by Banksy have sold for up to one million pounds — roughly US $1.4 million — when removed, transported, and put up for auction, making every Banksy vulnerable to theft. Press Association reported in a newscast posted on Twitter that the new Banksy narrowly avoided such theft.

Builders attempt to remove new #Banksy near London's French Embassy. They later stopped, fearing they would harm it. https://t.co/MKK0U8RxOC

— PA Media (@PA) January 25, 2016

The latest mural is already, at its inception, up against intense institutional scrutiny arising from previous works: Banksy’s last several productions have contained similarly contentious commentary on loaded topics, such as global political responses to the Syrian refugee crisis, the social and cultural stigmas borne by political refugees living in developed countries, and the governance of refugee camps in Europe.

The world-famous pieces of guerrilla street-art are further susceptible to defacement by vandals: many preeminent pieces by Banksy, now tarnished or ruined by vandalism, may have benefited from being boarded up, including the artwork preceding yesterday’s Banksy in London, as tweeted by Widewalls.

Banksy Mural Depicting Steve Jobs in Calais has been Vandalized https://t.co/X4GK0BmzXE

— MINISTRY OF WALLS (@MINISTRYOFWALLS) January 24, 2016

Last year, Banksy struck up a global conversation with an image he painted on the wall of the Calais “Jungle” camp, depicting a displaced-looking Steve Jobs — himself the son of Syrian refugee parents — turning to walk towards a slum-like tent, holding a knapsack over his shoulder in one hand, a derelict computer in the other. Other artworks by Banksy which have suffered the same fate include “Girl With A Pierced Eardrum” in Bristol, “Bomb Hugger” in Hamburg and “Sorry, the lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock” in London, each attracting the attention of Banksy fans the world over, who have taken to Twitter to garner momentum for campaigns of restoration and protection of the invaluable murals.

The future for street art in a world whose cities leave public works so vulnerable to theft and damage remains, like the identity of Banksy, unknown. Fans and followers of the mysterious artist urge the public to treat Banksy’s democratized, street-dwelling artworks as they would those works protected by art institutions. Perhaps, with the popular new Banksy boarded up, no longer publicly visible, their message will become louder and clearer.