Port Talbot: New street art takes swipe at Banksy owner

A new piece of artwork has been painted in the same spot a Banksy once was, taking a swipe at the gallery owner who purchased and removed it.

The street art references Banksy's Season's Greetings, which appeared in Port Talbot in 2018.

Bristol-based street artist John Doh said he thought locals would relate.

But gallery owner John Brandler said the council was responsible for the removal of Season's Greetings, calling the new work a "non-comment".

The new piece of art shows a family looking at a blank section of wall, annotated with "look Dad, it's a Banksy", followed by "no it's a John Brandler son."

The original Banksy appeared on the side of former steel worker Ian Lewis' garage in Port Talbot in 2018. It depicts a child enjoying snow falling, with the other side revealing it is from fire emitting ash.

It was then bought by Mr Brandler and moved to a building in the town centre where it stayed until 14 January 2022.

John Doh said he was contacted by fellow street artist Steve Jenks, who asked if he wished to paint something in Port Talbot.

According to John Doh, Mr Jenks had already painted on Mr Lewis' garage after Season's Greetings had been removed, and asked the artist to subsequently add to it.

"When street art is removed from the streets, it loses all its context and integrity," John Doh told the BBC.

"The location of [the Banksy] was excellent, with the factories as a backdrop behind the artwork and that can't be recreated when it is cut out and just thrown in a gallery or a museum."

Mr Brandler said that while he found the new work "funny", it lacked "visual punch".

"This is bland," he said. "Good street art makes the point very visual. If you look at Banksy's work, there are very few with wording. The important part is the visual."

The gallery owner, from Brentwood in Essex, added it targeted the wrong person, claiming the council was responsible for its removal.

The Banksy attracted about 20,000 visitors in one month after it was painted in 2018, and there were concerns about its safety before Mr Brandler purchased it.

At the time, he said his offer to buy the painting from Mr Lewis was the lowest of five, but he had intended to keep it in the town in the hope of creating an international street art museum.

But the idea was scrapped by the local council, Mr Brandler claimed.

The gallery owner added that for the time the Banksy was on display in the town, in local building Ty'r Orsaf, he had to "nag" the council to switch on the light so it could be seen.

A spokeswoman from Neath Port Talbot council said at the time: "We thanked the not-for-profit housing group Pobl for agreeing to house the artwork in Ty'r Orsaf giving so many people the chance to view it.

"Discussions were held on the potential for the work to remain in Port Talbot but the council was informed it would have to meet the costs of its removal and installation into a new venue, to continue to cover the insurance and to pay a fee in the region of £100,000 per year for the loan of the work."