LONDON: A mural by British street artist Banksy which mocks government surveillance has been defaced with spray paint, leaving fans saying yesterday they faced a race against time to save the £1m artwork.
The piece, titled “Spy Booth”, depicts three men in trench coats using listening devices to tap into conversations at an actual public telephone box in Cheltenham, southwest England.
It is just three miles from the UK government listening post GCHQ, which was the subject of a series of recent revelations by fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
Vandals spray-painted silver and red graffiti on to the elusive artist’s design overnight, but residents have expressed their hope that the piece, valued at £1m, can be saved.
Residents have been using toothbrushes and cloth to clean the piece and prevent any lasting damage.
“Spy Booth” had been under threat of removal after interest from an American investor, who wanted to buy the work and transport it from the wall. But the Save The Banksy campaign to keep the mural in place appeared to have succeeded earlier this week, when Hekmat Kaveh, a local businessman, stepped in to purchase it.
Kaveh yesterday said he was “absolutely appalled” by the vandalism but remained focused on protecting the work.
AFP
