A massive Banksy mural commenting on Brexit has been whitewashed, and the enigmatic artist is shrugging it off. The artwork, which was painted on the side of a derelict building in Dover, England, originally depicted a person chiseling away one of the twelve stars of the EU flag.
“Oh. I had planned that on the day of Brexit I was going to change the piece in Dover to this…,” Banksy—who rarely comments on his own work—shared via Instagram. “But seems they’ve painted over it. Nevermind. I guess a big white flag says it just as well.” See his blasé post below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UFBFYH_XE/
Dover Member of Parliament Charlie Elphicke has expressed disappointment in the whitewashing, sharing his sentiments on Twitter:” The Dover Banksy was an iconic piece of art. Now it is gone in an act of cultural vandalism. Historic England failed to protect it and should hang their heads in shame. But let’s not forget the massive progress our action team has been making locally!”
Elphicke’s tweet linked to a post entitled “Missing Banksy” on his website, with an extended statement on the piece.
“Historic England previously listed the Abbey Road crossing and even a 1960s Bournemouth bus depot described as hideous,” he wrote. “If they are going to list things like that, they should have listed an iconic and culturally important piece of art like our Banksy. Yet they refused. This is the result—and they should hang their heads in shame.”
