Controversial Banksy Mural Was Moved from New York to Bridgeport
In 2013, a new piece of art by the famous anonymous street artist Banksy appeared overnight in the South Bronx, New York. During his month-long art residency, called “Better Out Than In,” the artist created a series of works on the streets of the city, using walls of buildings as canvases. Among them was a mural titled “Ghetto 4 Life,” depicting a boy writing words on the wall, with a butler holding spray paint cans on a tray for him. After a decade had passed, the owner of the building with the Banksy mural on its wall decided to relocate it to Bridgeport, CT.
Controversial Banksy Mural Was Moved from New York to Bridgeport
The Banksy mural has been a point of controversy since it first appeared in its original location at 651 Elton Ave. The residents said that it was disrespectful and perpetuated harmful stereotypes about the Bronx. Others argued the graffiti was a piece of clever political satire and shouldn’t have been taken too seriously.
Opinions on whether the piece should have stayed in the neighborhood also vary. “Ghetto 4 Life” was hidden under scaffolding for several years and was only uncovered when the deinstallation project was set into motion. The building’s owner shared that he tried submitting the mural to museums and public schools, but all refused to accept it. Now, the infamous graffiti has found a new home in Bridgeport, CT, where it will most likely be placed under protective glass and showcased to the public.
Fine Art Shippers, an NYC-based fine art logistics company, was tasked with supervising the Banksy wall relocation. It was not the first time they handled such a complicated job. In 2019, Fine Art Shippers, in collaboration with the structural steel company Chesakl, moved another piece by Banksy. To extract the mural from the building, the workers had to cut the wall and dig a hole around it, after which they placed the piece onto a lowboy with the help of a crane. This Monday, the piece successfully arrived in Bridgeport and was installed in its new spot.
The entire process took months to organize, and there is still more work to be done. After a supportive metal frame for the glass cover is constructed, Fine Art Shippers plans to restore the mural to bring it back to its original state. Hopefully, the public will soon be able to enjoy the mural for themselves.