STREET ARTIST Banksy is suspected to be behind a new painting which has appeared on the wall of an English prison.
The mural appeared over the weekend and appears to show an inmate escaping over the wall of Reading prison, which has long been at the centre of a campaign to have the empty building turned into an arts centre.
The prison is notable for having once imprisoned famous Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde; he was sentenced to two years in prison for being gay-- which at the time was an offence under 'gross indecency'.
An artwork bearing the hallmarks of street artist Banksy is seen on the side of Reading Prison in Reading, west of London, on March 2, 2021. - The picture shows a prisoner, possibly resembling famous inmate Oscar Wilde, escaping on a rope made of bedsheets tied to a typewriter. The work has not yet been claimed by Banksy. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)The suspected Banksy artwork shows an inmate escaping using bedsheets tied to a typewriter, a possible nod to one of Ireland's most prominent literary figures-- after serving his two-year sentence, he wrote the poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
Banksy has not yet claimed responsibility for the artwork-- the anonymous artist tends to share new work with his 10 million followers on his Instagram page.
