Banksy is back, with a new, large-scale street piece appearing overnight on a residential building on Hornsey Road, midway between the Archway and Finsbury Park areas of North London.
AM was prompted out of hermit mode, jumped on a bus, and went to have look, before the artwork could be dogged by the petty-minded/envious, sidebusted by coattail-riders, or covered in perspex.
The whimsical mural interacts with a tree in the foreground — a rather sad-looking, currently leafless specimen that was aggressively lopped and topped by local authorities.
Having taken matters into their own hands, a stencil-sprayed character has attempted to replicate the missing foliage using a paint-filled fire extinguisher.
The piece references themes of environmentalism and activism. Perhaps also the battle against apathy, and the importance of taking an individual stand — even when such efforts may lead to partial failure (like the character covering not just the wall in paint, but also herself), or ultimate futility (given that new leaves will soon be sprouting on the tree).
It is surely no coincidence that this green spectacle was also unveiled on 17 March.
Photo credit: Patrick Nguyen.
