A new Banksy artwork has appeared on a courthouse building in London, depicting a judge in robes and a curly horsehair wig looming menacingly over a figure lying on the ground. The judge raises his gavel to strike, while the figure below opens one hand in a gesture of surrender and defensively holds up a protest sign with the other. Blood-red paint splatters on the sign provide the only color accent, suggesting that violence has already begun, yet one blow is not enough for justice.
This image of perpetually impending violence within a situation defined by power imbalance is typical of Banksy's work. British author and comedian Demi Adejuyigbe hit the mark a decade ago with his Banksy parodies, including one where the artist supposedly filled his rent share into a sealed jar labeled 'World Peace' that had to be smashed to access the money. Banksy's commentary on politics and society thrives on a clear division of the world into good and evil.
Stylistically and visually, his works are under-complex and emotional, as the current piece demonstrates, but this also makes them accessible and memorable. The art of the world's most successful street artist has inadvertently become somewhat better through unexpected artistic collaborators. When cleaning crews attempted to remove the work from the courthouse building, they created an unintended collaboration that added more gravitas to the piece.
As a trace of the unwanted, whose absence speaks louder than the worn-out stencil look could in 2025, only the dark silhouette of judge and victim remains visible. The failed attempt by authorities to reclaim interpretive control over public space using cleaning agents has, for now, failed. Viewers can see this failure despite the power imbalance.
The cleaning work continues, but the artwork's resistance to removal has become part of its message. This failed attempt by power structures to use cleaning supplies to regain control over public discourse represents a symbolic victory for artistic expression in the ongoing battle for public space.
