I cycle past a Banksy every day.
Banksy is a moderately famous stencil graffiti artist. The piece of art here appears to be a tribute to ‘Tox’, a notorious graffiti artist whose tag is absolutely everywhere on the London Underground.
Now, I like Banksy, a bit. (I like Tox more). The nearby Banksy at the bottom of Archway Road is quite lovely. It’s evolved over the years as it has become faded, damaged and edited by others. It makes me happy to cycle past.
But this new Banksy makes me cross. The owners of the building have covered it with a grotty bit of perspex and the whole thing looks gross. I’m not sure that the CCTV camera sign is still there but I don’t want to be reminded that I’m constantly being recorded under the assumption that I’ll do something naughty. It illustrates everything that’s bad about commercialism and materialism. The owners are protecting the value over and above allowing people to enjoy the art. I find it awfully sad. 