Banksy’s latest work, ‘Valentine’s Day Mascara’, restored by UK district council

Prior to this, the elusive artist has unveiled a mural on a destroyed building in war-torn Ukraine.

A new artwork by street artist Banksy, titled 'Valentine's Day Mascara' on the side of a building in Margate, England, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

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Immensely popular yet anonymous British street artist, Bansky‘s latest work appeared in the British seaside town of Margate, a seaside town in Kent. Titled ‘Valentine’s Day Mascara’, the work which debuted on February 14, shows an American housewife — dressed in a blue checkered dress, apron, and yellow household rubber gloves with a missing tooth and bruised eye — supposedly pushing a man inside a freezer, which is kept as a prop against the graffiti, along with a chair and crate.

However, the work, which alluded to the fact that she might have been a victim of domestic violence, was soon dismantled by the local Thanet District Council, on the grounds of public safety, thus rendering it meaningless. The act soon led to outrage, soon making the Council put back the freezer in its original place.

Quoting a spokesperson from Thanet District Council, The Independent wrote: “The freezer which council operatives removed from the Banksy installation in Margate has now been made safe. It has been returned to its original position at the site of the artwork today.”

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“Banksy raises the important issue of domestic abuse in this artwork. We are in touch with the owner of the property to understand their intentions around the preservation of the piece and to secure the best possible outcome for the local community and victims of domestic abuse,” it added.

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The BBC spoke with the resident of the property, who told the outlet that “the freezer and other items had been removed ‘very quickly’ and put into a truck at midday on Tuesday.”

“I’m absolutely upset because it’s not really nice. It was part of the art, they should be very happy because Margate could get bigger attention, positive attention,” the resident added.

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Prior to this, the elusive artist has unveiled a mural on a destroyed building in war-torn Ukraine. Sharing pictures of his work on Instagram, he captioned them: “Borodyanka, Ukraine”. In the same, he showed a woman in a leotard doing a handstand on the rubble.

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