A New Banksy Mural in North London References Climate Change

A New Banksy Mural in North London References Climate Change

Residents of London have recently received a gift from the legendary British street artist. A new Banksy mural depicting a woman standing next to a green tree appeared on the wall of a residential building in North London. It took the famously anonymous artist mere hours to confirm authorship by posting a picture of the piece on his Instagram page and official website.

A New Banksy Mural in North London References Climate Change

Banksy continues to create art in the streets of London even after one of his latest works, a stop sign with miniature military planes on it, was stolen almost immediately after installation.

The new piece appeared on the wall of an apartment building on St. Patrick’s Day. The person who works for the company that owns the building stated that it was “quite mad” to see the massive crowd that came to see the newly painted street art masterpiece. Since, according to The Guardian, the local authorities do not plan on removing the artwork, the residents of the borough will have some more time to enjoy the new Banksy mural.

A New Banksy Mural in North London References Climate Change

The artwork features a luscious green tree crown, which appears to perfectly align with the real but completely bare tree standing right in front of the wall. A life-sized figure of a woman is depicted under the greenery, holding the hose of a pressure washer.

There have already been theories as to what the new Banksy could mean. It has been pointed out that the green paint that the artist used to create his latest piece is the same kind of paint used by Islington Council, a local body of authority, to paint street signs in the borough. Others have suggested that the piece is a reference to “greenwashing,” a practice that businesses and governments use to appear eco-friendly without actually addressing the issue of climate change in any substantial way.

It is now up to the company that owns the building to decide whether to keep the artwork or get rid of it. Relocating a mural by Banksy and selling it to a private collector has been done before, so this also seems like a possible solution.

Photo credit: Banksy/banksy.co.uk