Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist whose controversial and lauded depictions of satirically political and quirky juxtapositions have become the stuff of unsubstantiated cryptids — OMG is that a Banksy?!?

One needn’t wonder too diligently over this piece on the wall of Reading Prison however, as a thoughtful behind-the-scenes video confirms his audacious hand in it:

“Painting, to me represents freedom.” ~ Bob Ross

A commenter noted how; “Bob Ross is not an accidental reference to the fact that [Oscar] Wilde was staying with a Robert Ross when he wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” (early British English spelling of jail).”

CREATE ESCAPE interested me for the simple fact that there is a typewriter included.

If I had to delve further into its iconography, I would make the argument that, writing is a form of not only communicating with the outside world from within, but also of upskilling oneself. Here, the prisoner has taken the wonderful device and used some outside thinking to make it work in his benefit, albeit by criminally under-appreciating its worth. Or so it seems, frozen in time, depicted repelling down paper, midway between imprisonment and being free. We can only assume he is smart enough to untie the typewriter and use the keepsake to prosper. Crime less. Create escape. 🤓

“Without literature, life is hell.” ~ Charles Bukowski

Those were my initial thoughts anyway. Some have gone on to comment that the male figure shares a resemblance to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He remains a prisoner despite having served his 50 week sentence that was given back in 1 May 2019. The tag #FreeAssangeNOW now accompanies the Bansky along with a rather poignant statement; Journalism is not a crime.

Perhaps the underlining theme is that all words are powerful in the eye of the beholder, even mores so should they dare hold any truth.

On a side-note; funny how this piece has similarities to the one from JPS, that also involved an escapee and a tool of expression, and in the same month no less. Could there be communication between underground artists and this is there subliminal way of acknowledging each other, 🤔 or is there just something in the aerosol?