Banksy’s Valentine’s Day Mural in Margate Sparks Conversation on Domestic Violence Against Women

On Tuesday, British street artist Banksy confirmed via his Instagram account that he was behind a new Valentine’s Day-themed mural in Margate, southeast England. The artwork, titled “Valentine’s Day Mascara,” depicts a 1950s housewife with a missing tooth and a swollen eye apparently pushing a man into an abandoned chest freezer.

The mural was completed early on Valentine’s Day, just hours before the appliance was removed. Artist Pete Brown was painting the scene when the genuine freezer — which formed an integral part of the mural — was taken away.

The piece is Banksy’s first public artwork since his late 2022 trip to Ukraine, where he painted seven pieces in solidarity with locals amid Russia’s invasion. It is also in stark contrast to his more whimsical 2020 Valentine’s Day mural in his teenage stomping ground of Barton Hill in Bristol, southwest England, which showed a young girl firing a slingshot of red roses.

Banksy offers few clues about his work, which usually appears in public locations overnight, beyond a confirmation on social media. The artist’s Valentine’s Day mural in Margate appears to be a commentary on domestic violence against women, and has sparked conversations about the issue in the local community.

The artwork has been widely shared on social media, with many praising Banksy for his thought-provoking work. It is unclear where the chest freezer was taken, but the mural remains in place and is expected to be preserved.