Pictured Above: Unknown street artist’s work.
A mystery has just landed under the radar of NewsFour. It has come to our attention that there appears to be a new street artist in town, with his/her work emblazoned on sign posts sprinkled throughout the Ringsend-Irishtown and Sandymount area.
We at your favourite local newspaper decided to look into this mystery ourselves and see what we could unearth.
The artist, who I have christened ‘Shelly Banksy’, a portmanteau of our very own Shelly Banks and Banksy, the English graffiti artist and political activist, has left his/her calling card on numerous sign posts around the area.
It must be stressed that we are not attempting to ‘out’ this artist or to identify them, but rather peer into a rather fascinating local sub-cultural phenomenon.
NewsFour took to the streets to examine this artwork for ourselves and quizzed people in the community regarding the signs, though people in general appear to be oblivious about their existence.
What do a depiction of a man climbing out of a vat of water, a ‘strong arm’ holding a key placing it into a keyhole and a man on his knees trapped in a guillotine have in common? We would have to ask the artist in question, as these have been the calling cards left by the handicrafter we have just mentioned.
Is there a message being promulgated? Is there a local or a societal connection between these artworks? Is it part of a hostile takeover? Well, maybe not a hostile takeover but this seems to be a riddle wrapped in an enigma smeared in a blizzard of spray paint!
Your friend and humble correspondent has tried his best to elucidate this question, but the mystery persists. We know how street artists value their anonymity, and these works have very silently become a curious addition to our community. Keep an eye out and check them out for yourself!
By Craig Kinsella
