1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Banksy takes on Brexit with new mural

May 8, 2017

The famously anonymous street artist Banksy has unveiled a new artwork, this time in the UK coastal town of Dover. His subject: the UK's impending departure from the European Union.

https://p.dw.com/p/2cabs
Banksy's street art in Dover
Image: Reuters/H. McKay

Street artist Banksy has struck again, this time in the British port town of Dover.

An artwork attributed to street artist Banksy, depicting a workman chipping away at one of the 12 stars on the flags of the European Union
The mural is clearly visible to ferry travelers arriving in the UK from FranceImage: Reuters/H. McKay

A new work by the elusive British graffiti legend appeared overnight Sunday on a wall in the ferry port, which connects England with the European mainland.

The mural depicts the EU flag, with a worker chipping away at one of the 12 gold stars.

The artist posted pictures of the work on his official Instagram feed on Sunday.

His representative has since confirmed that the mural is a Banksy original.

The artwork comes just a month after the UK officially gave notice that it was leaving the EU bloc, kicking off the contentious Brexit negotiations.

Art with a message

Palestinians walk past a mural of a playful-looking kitten, presumably painted by British street artist Banksy, on the remains of a house that witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war
In 2015, this mural of a kitten - presumably by Banksy - appeared on the remains of a house destroyed by Israeli shelling in the Gaza StripImage: Reuters/Suhaib Salem

Banksy is no stranger to controversy, and often uses his work to comment on cultural, political and social issues.

Previous targets have included Paris Hilton, Wall Street and the US detention center Guantanamo Bay, the last work appearing at Disneyland in California.

In 2015, at the height of the EU migrant crisis, the artist created four artworks at the Jungle migrant camp in Calais, France.

Earlier this year, he opened the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, a guesthouse near Israel's huge security barrier in the occupied West Bank with the "worst view of any hotel in the world."

cmk/kbm (Reuters, dpa)