Banksy super fan Loraine Holmes travelled from Leeds to London to view Banksy’s latest work in Finsbury Park after being tipped off about it the previous night. Holmes, a co-founder of Facebook group Banksy Locations, said she was “shaking with excitement in the taxi” on the way to view the artwork. The super fan said she spent five hours at the site, taking it all in and observing people. Banksy’s new mural is one of a green spray-painted wall with foliage and includes a stencil of a person holding a sprayer standing next to it.
Holmes has previously travelled great distances to view Banksy’s work, including a 14-hour round trip from Leeds to Margate just to take photos of the mural there. She said, “It started out with me not knowing much about graffiti, but after I saw some pictures I liked on eBay, I started doing some research, read a few books and joined a few groups.” Her admiration for the anonymous artist “spiralled” and she said Banksy would be her “Mastermind specialist subject”.
Holmes co-founded Banksy Locations with fellow enthusiast Jay Tompkins in 2020. The group now has 20,000 members worldwide and covers “every single aspect of Banksy” from the 1990s to today, according to Holmes. The group shares information on the condition of Banksy’s works and where they can be found. Holmes said it was members of Banksy Locations who “unofficially confirmed” the new London mural before the artist himself.
Holmes has further plans to travel to San Francisco and Los Angeles in the near future to view more of Banksy’s artwork, but when asked if she knew Banksy’s real identity, she simply replied “I do
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