A new, Brexit-inspired Banksy artwork has been unveiled in Dover, Kent.

The mural depicts a metalworker chipping away at a star on the European Union flag – it’s the prolific graffiti artist’s first comment on last year’s UK referendum vote to leave the EU.

Confirmed by Banksy’s representatives as an official work by the artist, the piece emerged overnight (May 6/7) on the side of Castle Amusements in the Kent port town of Dover. It overlooks Dover’s ferry terminal – a key transport and trade link between Britain and the rest of Europe.


According to the EU website, the stars of its flag “stand for the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe.”

View the artwork below via Banksy’s official Instagram account.

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The new artwork follows Banksy’s ‘The Walled Off Hotel’ installation in Bethlehem, which features performances from Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack, Hans Zimmer and Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist Flea.

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“It’s exactly one hundred years since Britain took control of Palestine and started re-arranging the furniture—with chaotic results,” he explained of the piece. “I don’t know why, but it felt like a good time to reflect on what happens when the United Kingdom makes a huge political decision without fully comprehending the consequences.”

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The artist asked Elton John to play at the hotel’s ‘opening party’ – “I don’t know much about piano players; I could only think of one,” Banksy explained. “So, I wrote Elton John an email, and, rather amazingly, he agreed to play” – a gig that John ended up performing remotely, with the performance being beamed into the hotel via television screens.