An artwork by Banksy which has been dismantled numerous times since it appeared in Margate this week will be relocated to the town’s Dreamland theme park.
The mural, titled Valentine’s Day Mascara, appeared to have a theme of domestic abuse and fighting violence against women as it depicted a 1950s housewife wearing a blue pinny and yellow washing-up gloves with a swollen eye and a missing tooth seemingly shoving her male partner into a chest freezer.
The real-life freezer incorporated within the piece was removed twice in the days after it was discovered in Margate, Kent on Tuesday.
Margate’s amusement park Dreamland will now home the piece so it remains “accessible to all those who want to come and enjoy it”.
A statement shared by Dreamland Margate on Twitter said: “We’re thrilled to have been asked to host Margate’s Banksy, enabling the artwork to remain in the town and accessible to all those who want to come and enjoy it for the foreseeable future.
“When everything has been finalised we’ll let you all know.”
On Tuesday, the artwork had its chest freezer, broken garden chair, blue crate and empty beer bottle taken away by a local council “on the grounds of safety”.
All the pieces were subsequently returned by Thanet District Council, who said on Wednesday it was in contact with the property owner to discuss ways to preserve the piece.
However, on Thursday, The Red Eight Gallery in London removed the freezer for a second time and said it was now in storage with permission from the homeowner, before a permanent home can be found for the entire work.
The chief executive of the gallery, Julian Usher, previously told the PA news agency that the homeowner stipulated that they wished for a local charity supporting prevention of domestic abuse against women to benefit, along with the piece being used to raise awareness in Margate and nationally.
The elusive street artist confirmed they were behind the artwork by sharing a series of photos of the piece on their Instagram account on Tuesday.
Following the artwork originally being dismantled, North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale, whose constituency includes Margate, told PA: “I think it’s an extremely impressive and extremely clever piece of art.
“And I hope and believe that it can and it should be preserved and displayed safely so that as many people as possible can see it.”
