バンクシー、ＤＶテーマの新作公開 バレンタインデーに

【マーゲートＡＦＰ＝時事】英イングランド南東部マーゲートの住宅の壁に１４日、同国の覆面ストリートアーティスト、バンクシーの新たな壁画が登場した。女性に対するドメスティックバイオレンス（ＤＶ）がテーマとなっている。（写真は英マーゲートの民家の壁に描かれたバンクシーの作品）
　壁画のタイトルは「バレンタインデー・マスカラ」。目を腫らし歯が欠けた１９５０年代風の女性が、壁の前に置かれた実物の冷凍庫の中に、男性のパートナーを放り込むような構図だ。
　マーゲートのヘザー・キーン市長はＡＦＰに対し、バンクシーの壁画が現れたことは地元の「誇り」だとし、保存方法を検討すると語った。
　だがその直後、地元当局の職員が作品の一部を構成していた冷凍庫を撤去した。マーゲートを管轄するサネット地区議会は、冷凍庫は公有地に置かれていたため「安全上の理由」で回収されたと説明。安全が確保され次第、元の場所に戻すとしている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/02/15-13:18）

British graffiti artist Banksy on Tuesday unveiled his latest UK street artwork, which appears to take aim at domestic violence against women as the world celebrates Valentine's Day.
The mural, which appeared in Margate in southeast England, depicts a 1950s-style housewife with a swollen eye and a missing tooth seemingly shoving her male partner into a real chest freezer.
Despite being integral to the artwork, the abandoned freezer was later removed by council workers.
The elusive Banksy, whose true identity remains unconfirmed, posted three images of the work -- which he entitled Valentine's Day Mascara -- on his Instagram account.
Two of the images were close-ups showing the woman, wearing a blue pinafore and yellow washing up gloves, smiling but seemingly with a battered face.
Workers claiming to be from Thanet council, the local authority administering Margate, arrived at the site mid-morning Tuesday to clear away the dilapidated household appliance.
The move prompted bemusement -- and even conspiracy theories -- among bystanders, who noted it was usually hard to get the council to make prompt removals.
People were sort of like, 'Stop, stop, you know, this is a Banksy, right?' local resident Laura Holden, 35, told AFP.
And they (the workers) were like, 'Yeah, no, we've got permission to take everything away', she said.
It felt like it was part of the piece, and perhaps Banksy intended that all along, because we all know how hard it is to get Thanet District Council to come and collect our rubbish.
Thanet council could not be reached for comment.
Others commended the apparent theme of the now-altered work.
I think it's amazing, said Amanda Barden, 56.
It's a real topic that people can talk about, domestic abuse. I think the reference to Valentine's Day as well, it's bringing people in, it's going to open up that dialogue.
Banksy, known to hail from Bristol in southwest England, has been busy producing and selling dozens of limited-edition screen prints to raise funds to support civilians affected by the war in Ukraine.
The 50 prints, which show a mouse sliding down the side of a box with FRAGILE printed on it, were sold in December for £5,000 ($6,100) each, through the charity Legacy of War Foundation.
Their online auction attracted thousands of hostile web attacks launched from Russian internet addresses, the charity said at the time.
The artist also confirmed last month that he was behind seven murals that appeared on destroyed buildings around Kyiv last year.