Graffiti artist
Proceeds go to defendants: Banksy designs T-shirt to topple slave-owner statue in Bristol
Banksy wrote on Instagram that he designed some souvenir shirts on the occasion of the trial, the proceeds of which will go to the accused
© Jacob King / DPA
During a protest in Bristol in 2020, several people overturned the statue of a slave trader and thrown it into the harbor basin. Now comes the trial and artist Banksy supports the accused.
Before a trial for the overthrow of a slave-owner statue in his hometown of Bristol, the British street artist Banksy assists the four accused with a t-shirt campaign.
On the occasion of the trial, the anonymous artist wrote on Instagram on Friday evening that he designed some souvenir shirts, the proceeds of which went to the accused so that they could go for a beer. To this end, he provided pictures of the gray T-shirt, which shows the statue’s empty base, surrounded by rubble, from which a rope hangs.
Banksy’s shirt available in only five stores
Above it is the name of the city where the shirts went on sale on Saturday in capital letters. Long queues formed in front of the shops that had the limited clothing item on offer. The PA news agency spoke of thousands of people who hoped to pick up one of the shirts in front of the five shops.
During a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol on June 7, 2020, several people overturned the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston (1636-1721) and thrown it into the nearby harbor basin. The four demonstrators, aged between 21 and 36, are accused of property damage. You plead not guilty. The trial against her is due to begin on Monday in the city a good 180 kilometers west of London.
A great stranger
Banksy’s identity itself is still unknown. His graffiti usually appears overnight: As soon as a new Banksy is discovered somewhere, photographers crowd around the work of art, the media report the find, and homeowners claim ownership. Because his graffiti paintings are worth millions. On the one hand, because Banksy likes art, on the other hand, because nobody knows who Banksy actually is. The graffiti sprayer is a great stranger. A phantom that acts overnight, sprays and then disappears again.