Canal bank graffiti war goes on

Published: 22 April 2010
by JOSIE HINTON

IT’S a feud unfolding in the heart of Camden Town that has caused a stir far beyond the confines of the graffiti world.

And it looks like the creative confrontation between Banksy and King Robbo on the banks of Regent’s Canal isn’t over yet.

In the tit-for-tat battle, Banksy, whose film Exit Through The Giftshop has recently had a run in cinemas.  has appeared to remove the “Team Robbo” tag from his fishing boy stencil on a wall next to the canal, replacing it with the word: “I don’t believe in War” and a roller-headed flamingo.

In response, the equally elusive Robbo has hit back with a series of messages leaving little to the imagination with the fishing boy, beneath the Pirate Castle in Camden Town, now retrieving a “Vote Robbo” sign from the water.

There is also a new sign that reads: “Banksy by being in London your depriving your village of its idiot.” 

Further along the canal, a message left by Banksy alludes to the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian, reading: “Banksy. He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty...”

According to insiders in the graffiti world, the spat goes back to a dispute the pair had before Banksy’s notoriety had grown which left Robbo feeling slighted. While it has been widely reported – even making it into the New York Times and Wall Street Journal – keen followers of street art say it has gone far enough.

Michael Rushmore, who writes Vandalog, a blog dedicated to graffiti, said: “To me these latest pieces smack of PR. At the beginning, the argument exactly followed the graffiti code of what an artist would do. But now with Banksy in America it seems unlikely he would have travelled all the way back just for this. There has also been speculation over Robbo putting some work in a gallery, so it seems as though this could be a way of keeping his name in the Press. It’s a shame, but everyone needs to pay the bills.” 

The row began shortly before Christmas, when Banksy painted over a 24-year-old Robbo mural, seen as the ultimate mark of disrespect. 

But Banksy has since defended his actions, arguing that the mural had already been covered in other artists’ tags.

He said in a statement: “I didn’t paint over a ‘Robbo’ piece. I painted over a piece that said ‘mrphfgdfrhdgf.’ I find it surreal when graffiti writers get possessive over certain locations. I thought that having a casual attitude towards property ownership was an essential part of being a vandal.”