Confirmed around 07:30 GMT, the painting, which is in Park Place (rear of Grosvenor Place, near Margate fire station), is a comment on domestic violence and shows a 50s-style housewife suffering a swollen shut eye, shoving, presumably, her husband into a dumped chest freezer.
Titled, “Valentine’s Day mascara” the work brings attention to the real issue of domestic abuse - ironically released on Valentine’s Day. According to the Office of National Statistics, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated that 5.0% of adults (6.9% women and 3.0% men) aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2022; this equates to an estimated 2.4 million adults (1.7 million women and 699,000 men).
Indeed, approximately 1 in 5 adults aged 16 years and over (10.4 million) had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16 years. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) domestic abuse-related charging rate in England and Wales increased for the first time in four years to 72.7% in the year ending March 2022 but remains below the year ending March 2018 (75.9%).
The elusive artist captioned the piece "Valentine's day mascara" which is a pun on the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre where seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang were murdered in 1929. Mascara, used to conceal and hide, makes one think of how many victims of domestic abuse may be too scared to report their abuser to the police and conceal or hide their suffering.
Banksy also posted pictures showing a close-up of the woman's smiling, but seemingly battered face, complete with a missing tooth and black eye. The mural artwork, which incorporates a real dumped chest freezer, also features a variety of rubbish on the ground, including a broken white garden chair, a blue crate and an empty beer bottle.
Famous for using his art to highlight current affairs and social injustice, Banksy’s most recent works prior to this were created in Ukraine and set to the backdrop of the Russian invasion. Previous charitable enterprises also include the financing of a boat to rescue refugees attempting to reach Europe from north Africa.
The vessel, named Louise Michel after a French feminist anarchist, set off in secrecy back in 2020 from the Spanish seaport of Burriana, near Valencia, and is now in the central Mediterranean.
Don’t suffer in silence – get help
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, help is out there. Oasis Domestic Abuse service can be found at http://www.oasisdaservice.org/get-help-now and click the ‘exit now’ button to erase all traces from your Internet history.
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is run by Refuge and offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day to victims and those who are worried about friends and loved ones. Telephone: 0808 2000 247 The Men’s Advice Line is a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and those supporting them and can be reached on 0808 801 0327.
For more information on our Banksy paintings for sale or to buy Banksy prints, contact Andipa via sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7581 1244. Alternatively, sell your Banksy print with Andipa or find out more about selling Banksy paintings and artworks.