Mystery artwork in Birmingham’s Gay Village not Banksy, their spokesman confirms

The mural, depicting Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz reaching for a pair of ruby slippers which are hanging from a nearby cable, is said to have appeared overnight on April 3 in Kent Street. A spokesman for the anonymous graffiti artist said the mural was not by Banksy (Jacob King/PA) The appearance of the art, on the wall of Sidewalk bar, has drawn speculation that it could have been the latest work of the famous anonymous street artist, with Phil Oldershaw, the bar’s director, telling BirminghamLive he was planning to protect it with Perspex. He said: “I’m going to protect it whether it’s Banksy or not. It would be a great thing for Birmingham, and it makes Southside look great too.” On his Instagram page, he said there has been a “media frenzy” ever since the mural was painted. The mural depicts Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz reaching skywards, towards a pair of ruby slippers which are hanging from a nearby cable (Jacob King/PA) However, Banksy has not claimed the mural on social media, and in a statement to the PA news agency, a spokesman for the artist said: “This isn’t by the artist Banksy.” The actual artist...