Banksy T-shirts news: Artwork to go in demolition

15/02/2010

Shoreditch arts venue the Foundry is set to be demolished, taking with it two of Banksy's pieces of work.

Developers have been granted planning permission to turn the site into a luxury hotel and spa, meaning that the only place anyone is likely to see the graffiti from the bar's walls in future is on Banksy T-shirts.

Hackney Council has received objections from a number of quarters, but now the street artist himself has weighed in on the debate - and called for the murals to be pulled down with the building.

He told the Hackney Gazette: "It's a bit like demolishing the Tate and preserving the ice cream van out the front."

The Guardian's Nosheen Iqbal has hailed Banksy's decision to support the demolition, commenting that it's part of the nature of street art.

She pointed out that the guerrilla-style of its creation along with its location make street art an ultimately transient medium that changes - and disappears - with its surroundings.

Banksy himself has moved into other creative avenues lately. His first film offering Exit Through The Gift Shop is due to be released in March.