WORLD-RENOWNED street artist Banksy has revealed he is responsible for the artwork on Reading Gaol.
This afternoon, the artist shared footage of him spray painting the piece on the Reading landmark in a Bob Ross-inspired video. He shared the film on Instagram with the caption “Create Escape”.
The artwork features a prisoner escaping via a traditional rope ladder made of bedsheets, tied to a typewriter.
It’s wondered whether the piece represents poet Oscar Wilde, who wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol after he was incarcerated in the jail in 1895.
Up until now, nobody knew who was responsible for the painting, which appeared overnight earlier this week.
The painting has appeared in the midst of an ongoing campaign to see the former jail turned into an arts and heritage centre.
The artwork has been welcomed by Reading East MP Matt Rodda, one of the leading lights of the campaign which has secured a number of celebrity endorsements.
The site has been empty for nearly a decade.
