In the secretive world of street art, it is hard enough to find out the protagonists’ real names, let alone where they stand on social issues. And so Banksy’s latest creation has provoked quite a debate – as to whether he is paying tribute to a fallen brother, or simply having a laugh at his expense.
Notorious graffiti vandal Daniel Halpin, 26, hit the headlines earlier this month when he was convicted of a string of spray paint attacks across England between 2007 and 2010. His TOX ‘tag’ covered trains, buses, bridges, walls and even a funeral home. At his trial, the prosecution mocked him for being ‘no Banksy’ because he lacked the necessary artistic skills. Now, in deliberate reference to his plight, Banksy’s latest London work depicts a young boy creating bubbles in TOX’s name on a wall.
The piece, on the corner of Jeffrey’s Street and Kentish Town Road, Camden, is within walking distance of where self-styled ‘King of the Taggers’ Halpin lived. And it has prompted fierce debate online. Some believe the hitherto unmasked Bristol-based Banksy, who has never been convicted for his ‘art’, is making light of the ‘amateur’ efforts of the convicted criminal.
Others think the piece is a tribute to the TOX tagger, currently detained in prison, and a show of support before he is sentenced on July 1 at Blackfriars Crown Court. Within hours of the piece’s discovery on Thursday the owners of the four-storey block where it was found, Bhupen Raja and wife Hena, protected it with a Perspex screen.
