What the new Banksy mural in London means

Banksy has confirmed the authenticity of his latest artwork, a bright green tree mural that has appeared on a building in north London. The artist shared before and after pictures of the painting on his Instagram page on Monday following widespread speculation that he was behind it. The piece, which locals spotted on the side of a block of flats on Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park, on Sunday morning, features a mass of green paint positioned behind a cut-back tree to look like foliage, alongside a black stenciled figure holding a pressure hose. The artwork on the side of a building on Hornsey Road in Finsbury Park (Photo: Ella Nunn/PA) One of the building’s tenants told i that the crowds of spectators and the media had grown by Monday, and would no doubt continue to do so once the artwork was claimed by Banksy himself. What has been speculated about the artwork’s meaning? James Peak, the documentarian behind the BBC Radio 4 series The Banksy Story, said he thought the artwork by the elusive street artist carried a “clear” message that “nature’s struggling and it is up to us to help it grow back”. Mr Peak, who received a tip-off about...