http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/entertainment_enl_1123233495/img/1.jpghttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4748063.stm
Secretive "guerrilla" artist Banksy has decorated Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side.
The nine paintings were created on the Palestinian side of the barrier.
One depicts a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side.
Banksy's spokeswoman Jo Brooks said: "The Israeli security forces did shoot in the air threateningly and there were quite a few guns pointed at him."
Banksy said he was threatened by Israeli security forces
Another picture shows the head of a white horse appearing to poke through, while he has also painted a ladder going over the wall.
The 425-mile (680-kilometre) long barrier, made of concrete walls and razor-wire fences, is still being erected by Israeli authorities.
Israel says the structure is necessary to protect the country from suicide bombers, but the International Court of Justice has said it breaches international law.
Banksy, who hails from the UK city of Bristol, never allows himself to be photographed and created the images last week.
Banksy is well known for his art stunts around the world
He condemned the wall but described it as "the ultimate activity holiday destination for graffiti writers".
His previous creations, which critics condemn as stunts, have included a bronze spoof of the statue of Justice from the Old Bailey, London, wearing thigh-high boots and a suspender belt.
He also embarrassed the British Museum by planting a hoax cave painting of a man pushing a supermarket trolley, which he said went unnoticed for three days.
He has also smuggled and hung works in galleries including the Tate Britain in London and the Metropolitan and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
― jed_ (jed), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)
Oh, Banksy, if you didn't have such a sh*t surname...
― Alec Tea-Skirt (kate), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)
Why? (x-post to Enrique) A lot of his London stuff has become cliched, hackneyed, but only through repetition. This, however, I think is actually amazing. Not to mention actually quite brave, physically as well as conceptually.
― Alec Tea-Skirt (kate), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:16 (twenty years ago)
i'm not a big fan of his on the whole but this is great, i think. i do wonder about the truth of this statement though:
"Banksy's spokeswoman Jo Brooks said: "The Israeli security forces did shoot in the air threateningly and there were quite a few guns pointed at him."
hmmm.
― jed_ (jed), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)
i've explicitly *never* shown support for sharon's policy, if you actually read my other things; all i've said is that israel is entitled to exist. i haven't even looked at banksy's stuff here, as it goes: my dislike for him predates this.
― N_RQ, Friday, 5 August 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)
nine years pass...