Banksy returns with new Valentine’s Day artwork highlighting domestic violence

Banksy shared the work on their Instagram page on Valentine's Day

Banksy has confirmed that a piece of artwork in Margate highlighting the issue of domestic violence* does indeed belong to them.

The work, entitled 'Valentine's Day mascara' depicts a stereotypical 1950s housewife with a black eye and a missing tooth, closing the lid of a discarded freezer, with a pair of legs poking out from the other side. It appeared earlier this week along Grosvenor Place near Margate Fire Station, causing speculation that it was a piece belonging to the famous artist. The secretive stenciller has now confirmed that it is their work, by posting a picture of the art on their Instagram page on Tuesday (February 14). https://www.instagram.com/p/Coom0LDsfJf/ The title is a play on the infamous Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, when seven gang members and associates were killed at a Chicago garage on February 14, 1929. The Bristol-born artist is known across the world for their unique graffiti-style work seen from London to New York and even their hometown. But ever since coming onto the scene in the 1990s, the artist's identity has remained a secret, with even their gender still a mystery. Last year, a clip reemerged of a 2003 ITV interview with a man who claimed to be Banksy. If this was indeed the artist, this is thought to be the last time they appeared on camera.

*If you are affected by domestic violence and/or abuse, there are a number of places where you can get help and advice, including:

• Call the police on 999 if you are in immediate danger - the police will continue to respond to emergency calls. If you can't talk on the phone, call 999 and then press 55. Your call will be transferred to the relevant police force who will assist you without you having to speak.

• The freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) run by the charity Refuge. You can also contact the helpline via Refuge's online contact form

• Women's Aid, which provides information and support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. They have an online live chat service.

• The Men’s Advice Line - A confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse. You can call on 0808 801 0327.

• Galop is a specialist helpline for members of the LGBT+ community experiencing abuse or violence, such as hate crime, domestic abuse, sexual violence, so-called “conversion therapy” or any other kind of abuse.

Related links:

• One-of-a-kind Banksy artwork worth £10m destroyed by Christopher Walken on TV show
• Terminally-ill dad who mooned speed camera honoured with 'new Banksy'
• Town councillor quits as 'claims he is graffiti artist Banksy make it hard for him to do his job'