Banksy Recaps Mural-Making Spree with Film: “A Great British Spraycation”
Elusive England-based street artist, political activist, and film director Banksy has officially claimed responsibility for a smattering of art installations across five coastal towns in the United Kingdom. Recapping his work, the artist has released a playful film entitled, “A Great British Spraycation.” In the Instagram video, he focuses on a handful of his works and his travels in a camper van he calls home.
The video was released just as whispers around the world began speculating that the pseudonymous artist may be responsible for the graffiti installations. In the film, there are clips of both admirers and those who seem outright disgusted. In one shot of Banksy completing his mural of a girl building a sandcastle, a passerby calls his art “mindless vandalism.”
Hermit crabs with sign “Luxury Rentals Only,” found in Cromer, Norfolk, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
The first mural, found in Great Yarmouth, features a couple dancing atop a bus shelter and a man playing accordion. Next was the depiction of an arcade toy-grabber crane, spotted in the nearby town of Gorleston. Soon after, murals of children playing in a boat with the tagline “We’re all in the same boat” and a seagull apparently trying to eat “chips” from a nearby dumpster appeared in Suffolk. A relaxed rat, leaning back and sipping on a martini was spotted in Lowestoft, and a tiny group of hermit crabs, one holding a sign reading “Luxury rentals only” was found in Cromer, Norfolk.
One mural, depicting two children flung into the air clinging to an inflatable dinghy while an adult pumping it is distracted by his drink has already been painted over. Council members in Great Yarmouth told BBC that “the artwork was covered up amid ‘sensitivity’ to a young girl who died after being flung from an inflatable trampoline on a nearby beach in 2018.” However, some officials have installed plexiglass protective walls over the artwork to preserve them.
A mural depicting children flung into the air on a dinghy, found in Gorleston, Norfolk, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
In an uncharacteristic move for Banksy, he also seemed to install his own thatched stable with the words “Go big or go home” tagged on the side, along with his trademark rat perched on top of a wheel. The model village said it “had never seen this model before”, and it has since been placed in a protective clear box, and is put on display at only certain times a day, under the careful watch of the staff.
Installation of a stable with words “Go big or go home”, found in Great Yarmouth, UK, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
These installations and the accompanying film are an intimate look into the process and mindset of one of modern art’s most mysterious figures. Banksy has managed to become one of the most (in)famous artists of the 21st century while keeping his true identity a secret for years. He is known to play by his own rules and express his own commentary, regardless of public opinion. This prolific “Great British Spraycation” has given us just a glimpse more into his reality.
View the rest of his installations below,
Girl building a sandcastle, found in Lowestoft, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
Three children playing in a boat with the tagline “We’re all in the same boat” found in Suffolk, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
A woman admires a rat sipping a martini in Lowestoft, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
Toy crane picking up teddy bears, found in Gorleston, Norfolk, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
Seagull tries to eat plastic, found in Lowestoft, by Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”
Statue of Frederick Savage, steam engineer and former mayor of King’s Lynn with a tongue and ice cream cone painted on, found in King’s Lynn, UK, By Banksy: “A Great British Spraycation”