There was once a Banksy painting in Southampton, but it is no longer on display.
The piece was a stencil of a young boy holding a red heart-shaped balloon with the phrase “No Future” spray-painted above it.
It appeared on a house wall in Bevois Valley in 2004 but was unfortunately painted over a short while after appearing.
However, Southampton was fortunate to receive a different work of art by Banksy in 2020.
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Banksy gifted his artwork “Game Changer” to University Hospital Southampton as a tribute to the NHS staff working on the frontlines.
The piece depicted a young boy playing with a nurse doll wearing a cape and mask, signifying her superhero status.
“Game Changer” was originally intended to be sold, and was auctioned off in 2021 for £16.7 million. The proceeds from the sale went to charities that support the NHS.
But there have also been many cases of copycats in the city.
Shortly following the creation of the “No Future” mural, a similar artwork emerged in Shirley.
The painting was stencilled onto the exterior of New Century Bingo along Shirley Road, showcasing a figure that bears a striking resemblance to one found in Bevois Valley.
Once one Banksy appears in a city, you often get copycat graffiti, and it’s thought this was just that.
In February 2011, another copycat piece was found within the city on Almond Road
In the artwork, a figure swinging a sledgehammer aimed at a television screen with the phrase “Kill Television” in bold red letters.
But, the mural was just a replica of a Banksy work found in Wapping, London.
Then, in April 2013, a mural appeared on the wall of a building along Asylum Road.
This artwork depicted a police officer casually leaning against a door alongside the words: “I used to be a florist”.
Despite public speculation, specialists promptly refuted claims suggesting that the graffiti might be attributed to the renowned artist Banksy.
Although the stencilling is of good quality, it was not as good as a typical Banksy,
In 2019, a new mural appeared in Southampton on Mount Pleasant Road.
It shows the figure of a child holding a balloon with the words “our future” sprayed across the top.
It features an almost identical figure to one in Bevois Valley that the Daily Echo revealed to be the work of Banksy in November 2010.
Although It is not unknown for Banksy to go back to old murals that have been damaged, it’s not thought to be from the renowned artist.
There have been sightings of Banksy-style art across Hampshire as a whole, but these have been claimed by other street artists, like Hendog.
One such instance was a mural of a child holding a rainbow kite that appeared in Winchester on Mother’s Day 2023.
Hendog, a prolific street artist who some consider to be Winchester’s answer to Banksy, has created several murals around the city.
“A Hallmark Memory” at St Catherine’s View dementia care home features resident Sue Ouvry and a little girl, Athena Mackie, holding a teddy bear as they walk towards Winchester Cathedral.
Outside Cabinet Rooms on Jewry Street in the city centre, “Bapsybanoo” can be found. This mural depicts Bapsybanoo Pavry, Marchioness of Winchester, an Indian socialite and aristocrat.
Hendog keeps his identity a secret and his artworks appear unannounced, so keep an eye out as you explore Winchester! You never know where you might find his next creation.
