What Banksy did on his UK vacation

A spate of suspected Banksys has been spray-painted across England’s East Anglia region, with art lovers and fans getting in on the fun of spotting the new works.

One of the artworks uses perspective to show a couple painted on the wall who are apparently dancing on top of a bus stop while another shows a giant arcade toy grabber above a bench with the people below as its target.

A third shows three children in a rowing boat with one of them using a bucket to bail it out and the message: “We’re all in the same boat.”

Banksy, whose real identity is not known, has not admitted he painted any or all of the eight works that have appeared in towns in Norfolk and Suffolk, but they appear to share his style and humour.

All of the new paintings, including one spray-painted in miniature at Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth, are being inspected by art experts.

"Banksy is adept at recycling stuff left lying around – a bicycle tyre, a pile of sand or… a corrugated metal sheet that doubles as a boat to convey a powerful environmental warning, as the children bail out the sinking ship," said Professor Paul Gough, vice chancellor of Arts University Bournemouth.

"Working at life-size scale, we are looking at a painter in his prime. Very few street artists can use stencils as expertly as this; and certainly no one capable of doing so at speed from a very exposed perch," he said.

For a town used by Banksy, a work can bring new tourists and opportunities but it also comes with the job of properly securing it.

“We’re just as intrigued and curious as everybody else as to whether these could be genuine Banksys. It would be great to think that they were, but we really don’t know,” said Sheila Oxtoby, chief executive of Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

As with many of Banksy’s most-loved works, there is a political message in some of the art. In Cromer, Norfolk, a hermit crab holds up a sign “luxury rentals only”.

“We're not yet sure whether this is a confirmed Banksy creation but we're minded to let tourists and local residents visit the site to enjoy it and make their own minds up, until nature takes its course and the sea removes it,” a representative for North Norfolk District Council said.

In Lowestoft, Suffolk, a child is drawn holding a shovel, appearing to have built a sandcastle and dug up the pavement as well.

Nearby, a giant seagull is seen pouncing on the contents of a dumpster made to look like a packet of chips.

The third new image in the town is on the beach where a rat sits on a deck chair with a drink.

Often, Banksy claims his works soon after finishing them.

The anonymous artist's work has appeared all over the world, including Paris, New York and Bethlehem, and sells for millions at various auctions.

One of his paintings depicting a young boy playing with a superhero nurse doll sold for a record £16.7 million ($23m) at a Christie's auction in March this year, with the proceeds going to National Health Service charities.

Game Changer, which was unveiled in May 2020 at University Hospital Southampton, pays tribute to frontline health workers in their fight against Covid-19.