Banksy's latest mural is in my garden!

Imagine looking out of your window and seeing a painting by a famous artist in your garden! Watch the video to find out about an artwork by street-artist Banksy.

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. Remember, you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation

Transcript

Crowd: Are you Banksy?

Carlos Serrano: I don't know. Can't confirm nor deny.

This BBC journalist got a shock when he looked out of his window and saw the wall of his garden had been spray-painted, by vandals he assumed. Then someone told him to take a few steps back …

Carlos Serrano: You know, when I went further, I see, like, the whole picture, and I realised I was in front of a masterpiece of art.

Then everything changed when Banksy confirmed it was his work. Since then, he's had crowds outside his garden. They've come to have a look, say hi and ask him if he saw anything.

Carlos Serrano: Everybody wants to talk to me, and to come to my window and take pictures. So for me, it's a great experience because, like, you know, being an immigrant like me, this kind of things makes me feel like I really belong to this community.

The local authorities have even put up barriers after the mural was defaced. Still, the people come to London's latest tourist attraction.

© BBC

Discussion

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Submitted by Ravi95_isk on Tue, 03/09/2024 - 06:45

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As a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, I enjoyed looking at murals in each school or department. JNU has a lot of murals depicting different socio-political and cultural realities around the world. Student activists make these murals and that gives JNU its identity. 

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Submitted by Libra23 on Wed, 29/05/2024 - 12:06

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Yes, it is. On a wall of my secondary school there’s a mural who represents one of the most famous picture about two of the most famous italian judges, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, killed by the italian crime organisation called mafia during the firstly months of 1992. 

The mural, made by a Sicilian street artist, has the utility to open a reflection on those years when Italy and in particular Sicily (the greatest Italian island at south) fought against the mafia, which frightened the Italian population for many years, due to the fact that this criminal organisation had killed journalists, policemen, judges, politicians and anybody had tried speaking about it and also contrasting its power. 

Hi,

Your comment is interesting. 
Could you please write more about the present situation with criminals in Italy? 
Did the Italian people finally cope with the mafia?
 

Cheers,
Serhii

Submitted by Learnenglish2025 on Sun, 12/05/2024 - 10:22

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Yes, there is street art in my city. I think street art adds vibrancy and creativity to urban spaces, and can be a powerful form of expression for artists. It can also spark conversation and provoke thought about social issues. Overall, I appreciate the beauty and uniqueness that street art brings to my community.

Submitted by Nilay. on Fri, 03/05/2024 - 06:04

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Currently, I am living in Melbourne. Melbourne Street has a lot of street art. I enjoy looking at these paintings when I travel. Instead of looking at ugly walls, I would rather look at creative art paintings. it makes me happy :)