A graffiti exhibition backed by Banksy has been shut after vandals daubed “f*** the King” on a building owned by the Crown Estate.
The Long Dark Tunnel exhibition in Piccadilly was forced to close due to pressure from the landlord, after anti-monarchy graffiti appeared on the walls of the building and other Crown-Estate owned properties nearby.
The exhibition, which opened last month, was created by graffiti writer 10Foot — real name Sam Moore — and featured in a special edition of the Big Issue.
The edition included an interview by Banksy of artists Tox and Fume, with Banksy referring to Tox as the country’s “most imprisoned” graffiti writer.
Speaking about the exhibition’s closure, 10Foot told The Times: “It’s the same old story: we’re treated as antisocial idiots and they won’t engage in dialogue with us when we do something widely recognised as positive. Getting bullied by the powerful really makes you feel like a fox being chased by the hunt.”
He went on to say that instead of closing the exhibition, the anti-monarchy graffiti could have been washed off, but claimed “they’d prefer to throw us under the bus.”
Sam Moore was jailed in 2020 for causing more than £100,000 of damage writing 10Foot, but he has never confirmed the tag is his.
The Crown Estate is one of the biggest landlords in the country and has a £15.5billion property portfolio which is held by the monarch.
In 2011, graffiti artist Tox was jailed after admitting spraying his tag for more than 10 years, and prosecutors referred to him as “no Banksy”. That inspired Banksy to paint his Child Blowing Bubbles work in Camden, which featured Tox’s tag.
Speaking about his work, Tox, whose real name is Daniel Halpin and who claims to have been arrested more than 40 times, said: “Graffiti provided me with an outlet and an escape from my crime-ridden ends.
“The prison is real when you grow up in them ends, so graffiti saved me from longer prison sentences, sh** mental health and being a burden on society.”
Tox is best known for spraying his basic tag on the London Underground network.
Arts Arcade took to Instagram to announce the closure stating that due to “serious incidents of vandalism and criminal damage”, the exhibition would close earlier than scheduled.
Their statement read: “Following serious incidents of vandalism and criminal damage to Arts ARKADE and some of our neighbours’ buildings, we have regretfully taken the decision to close the ‘Long Dark Tunnel’ exhibition earlier than scheduled.
“The criminal damage we’ve experienced is totally unacceptable and is not a matter we take lightly.
“There were positive outcomes achieved over the course of the exhibition.
“Over the past three weeks, the exhibition has welcomed thousands of visitors, and partnered with The Big Issue. We are grateful to all.”
