Freezer at the centre of Banksy’s latest work removed ‘due to illegal waste disposal’

A new mural by Banksy in Kent apparently depicting domestic violence has been removed just hours after the elusive artist claimed it was his work.

The street artist confirmed he was behind the artwork, which was discovered on a wall in Margate, by sharing a series of photos of the work on his Instagram account on Tuesday.

The original work, titled “Valentine's Day Mascara,” features a 1950s housewife wearing a blue apron and yellow dishwashing gloves, with a swollen eye and a missing tooth, seemingly pushing her male partner into a freezer.

Banksy | Valentine's Day Macara 2023

The resident of the property where the painting was created, who wishes to remain anonymous, told PA that the freezer and other items, including a broken garden chair used in the artwork, were removed “very quickly” and loaded into a truck on Tuesday afternoon.

Responding to her feelings about the move, the tenant said: “I'm absolutely upset because it's not really nice. It was part of the art, they should be very happy because Margate could get more attention, positive attention.”

“Why did they move those parts? That's just silly.”

She claimed she asked the people who removed the items why they were doing it and they replied: “Someone on the city council told them they were just doing this job. It's not their idea, but they have to do it.”

She added: “In the past, no one cared if there was garbage on the street. That is, they did care, but not so quickly.”

“Even if you report something to them about garbage collection, they don't take action until a week or two later, not immediately.”

The tenant also said her landlord tried to send people to protect the artwork, but they were unable to do so before the pieces were removed.

In a series of photographs on Banksy'S On his Instagram account, the street artist captioned his work “Valentine’s Day Mascara” and zoomed in twice to show a close-up of the woman’s smiling but seemingly battered face.

Speculation about the post suggests that the Bristol-born artist is referring to the fight against violence against women on Valentine's Day.

In December, the anonymous graffiti artist announced that he had created 50 screen prints to be sold to raise funds for a charity that supports the people of Ukraine.

Banksy had previously confirmed that they had spent time in Ukraine after he posted a video of an artist spray-painting designs and speaking to locals in the war-torn country.

Thanet District Council has been asked for comment.