Having already gifted Birmingham’s homeless with mural reindeer and Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter with the bill of ensuring it is not further vandalised or indeed the wall stolen and sold (theguardian.com):
Banksy’s nativity—with bullet hole in place of star—unveiled in Bethlehem (theguardian.com).
The Scar of Bethlehem features a nativity scene with Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, but instead of a star hanging over the crib there is what appears to be a large bullet hole piercing an imposing grey wall.
The stage for this political festive conceptual titled with a similar play on words:
The piece has appeared in the Walled Off Hotel, which Banksy helped set up and overlooks the border wall in the divided city. Opened two years ago, the hotel is billed as having “the worst view of any hotel in the world” and is filled with original Banksy artwork.
With the same dystopian satire as his Dismaland theme park at Weston-super-Mare (Blog 22nd Aug. 2015) and pimped with the slogan “the worst view of any hotel in the world” which, like his pop-up “Gross Domestic Product” faux store in Croydon (Latest Picks 3rd Oct. 2019), is filled with other Banksy originals.
The highlight of the hotel is room No 3, known as “Banksy’s Room”, where guests sleep in a king-size bed underneath a Banksy artwork showing a Palestinian and an Israeli having a pillow fight.
With the hotel’s manager, Wissam Salsaa, saying “Banksy is trying to be a voice for those that cannot speak” and that he was “creating a new model of resistance through art”.
Recent/related stories
- Banksy’s chimpanzees ‘Devolved Parliament’ painting sold for artist record £9.9m (Latest Picks 3rd October 2019)
- Banksy made the stab-proof vest that Stormzy wore at Glastonbury 2019 (Latest Picks 29th June 2019)
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