AN ageing campervan with a shadowy, hooded figure at the wheel has been on a whistle-stop tour of British seaside resorts. The driver? Internationally acclaimed street artist Banksy who, in recent days, has released a short video showing off his latest handiwork.
The three-minute clip details a clutch of entertaining and thought-provoking murals, installations and graffiti slogans that have appeared on beach walls, gable ends, a statue and even a model village around the east coast of England. Banksy has dubbed his exploits "A Great British Spraycation".
Who is Banksy?
Well, that's the burning question. The identity of the artist, whose works have sold for millions of pounds at auction, remains shrouded in mystery.
Banksy cut his teeth as a young artist spraying his tag around Bristol in the 1990s. His often-controversial subject matter shines a spotlight on topical issues and makes strong political statements. The cloak-and-dagger nature of his modus operandi has stoked intrigue over the years.
Anything else?
Banksy largely uses spray paint and stencils for his creations. His most famous works include Girl With Balloon, Kissing Coppers, The Flower Thrower and Napalm.
Why the anonymity?
Banksy's public pieces are usually done under a veil of secrecy and without permission – a precarious dance between artistic expression and criminal damage.
What did Banksy do on his holidays?
The itinerary of "A Great British Spraycation" has – so far – seen him visit Lowestoft and Oulton Broad in Suffolk and Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Cromer and King's Lynn, all in Norfolk.
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In his wake, new artworks appeared. They include a seagull hovering beside oversized "chips" in a skip, the metal claw of an arcade game above a bench and a rat relaxing with a cocktail in a deckchair on a beach wall.
At Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth, Banksy's name and the tagline "Go Big or Go Home" were spray-painted on a miniature stable. A fake tongue and foam-filled ice cream cone were attached to a statue of 19th-century steam engineer Frederick Savage in King's Lynn.
Any controversy?
Yes. A mural at Gorleston's model yacht pond, showing two children being flung into the air as they cling to an inflatable dinghy being pumped up by a distracted adult, has been covered over.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it was due to "local sensitivities" following the death of three-year-old Ava-May Littleboy in 2018, who was fatally injured when an inflatable trampoline burst on Gorleston beach. The image has since been removed from Banksy's website.
READ MORE: Street artist Smug talks about creating some of Glasgow's best-loved murals
Meanwhile, the rat with cocktail artwork on Lowestoft beach has been defaced with white paint. East Suffolk Council said it is "hopeful" it could be restored.
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