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Banksy’s ‘Valentine Day Mascara’ to be unveiled at Dreamland, Margate this week

A Banksy piece that appeared overnight on the side of a Margate house is set to be installed at the town’s Dreamland theme park this Sunday.

The work, which is a commentary on domestic violence, had been painted on an end-of-terrace home in Grosvenor Place on February 13, with the Bristol-born street artist taking credit for it the next day.

The Margate Banksy, Valentine's Day Mascara. Picture: Danielle Quinn
The Margate Banksy, Valentine's Day Mascara. Picture: Danielle Quinn

Titled ‘Valentine’s Day Mascara’, it is a play on the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre - the 1929 murders of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang.

The piece shows a woman in a retro dress, complete with kitchen apron and Marigolds, with a bruised eye and missing teeth.

Sticking out from a fridge-freezer placed against the wall were a pair of legs, suggesting the man has been dumped there by his wife.

And after a close collaboration between the owner of the house, Dreamland and Red Eight Gallery, members of the public will be able to view the piece for free at the theme park from Sunday, June 11.

Vintage fairground Dreamland in Margate. Picture: Dreamland
Vintage fairground Dreamland in Margate. Picture: Dreamland

The update comes after a long-running saga that saw many flock to the site of the artwork to admire it before Thanet District Council (TDC) intervened.

Amid the initial interest in the piece, there was outrage as authority bosses began to dismantle the piece just a day after the artwork first appeared.

Just hours after Banksy claimed responsibility for the artwork contractors from TDC carted away the fridge-freezer that formed a vital part of the piece.

The council said it was removed "on the grounds of safety" and would be returned "once it has been made safe to the public".

The chest freezer being removed from the Banksy artwork in Margate. Picture: Dan Bambridge-Higgins
The chest freezer being removed from the Banksy artwork in Margate. Picture: Dan Bambridge-Higgins

However, in March, a forklift crew removed the chunk of wall that the rest of the piece was on – with the original owners of the property being keen for the relocation of the artwork.

Contractors for Red Eight Gallery were pictured using a forklift truck to remove the artwork - the last step of an "intricate" process they had been working on for weeks.

It involved propping the house up while the piece was cut out and removed, ahead of its relocation to Dreamland.

Those visiting the theme park are encouraged to donate money for a local charity working in the domestic violence field.

For this reason, Dreamland has partnered with Oasis, which supports those affected by domestic abuse in Margate and the surrounding areas.

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