Banksy: artist claims new mural in London's Finsbury Park after green tree mural appears overnight

Street artist Banksy has claimed responsibility for a new mural on the side of a north London building, after the artwork appeared overnight.

The famous artist took to Instagram to post a series of image of a bare tree, followed by an image of the artwork behind it following its completion on Hornsey Road in Finsbury Park. The mural depicts a person with spray paint painting what looks to be random green splodges on the wall. From the angle with the bare tree in front of it, it begins to make up what would have been the foliage of the branches in front.

Residents of the block of flats beside the artwork said they were "proud and delighted" after they discovered Banksy has tagged their building. Local resident Wanja Sellers said: “We’re so proud and delighted that Banksy chose our road and chose Finsbury Park for his work.

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“The bright green colours represent Islington, which is lovely, and also, of course, St Patrick’s Day, which is nice and festive. Choosing the colours of our borough just makes it feel like a personal message to us residents. We just feel so proud.”

Lidia Guerra, another Hornsey Road resident, said: “The way it’s been done, with the paint spraying down, reminds me of a weeping willow, so there’s perhaps a message about the struggle of nature with the dead tree in front. It’s just great – when we read about it last night, we knew we had to come and see it as soon as possible. We feel so proud to think he chose our street.”

People have come to the Finsbury Park location to catch a glimpse of the artwork on display. This included Jeremy Corbyn, who represents Finsbury Park as part of the Islington constituency in parliament, who said: “Banksy’s come to Finsbury Park with a bit of greenery in a place that needs a bit more greenery. We’re the most densely populated constituency in the country and I’m just delighted. It gives the idea that we could do with much more greenery everywhere and I think that’s a really nice message.”

It is understood that Islington Council’s graffiti removal team is aware of the artwork, but that it will not be removed. Councillor Roulin Khondoker said: “This fantastic piece from Banksy has sparked a real buzz across Islington and beyond, and we very much want the artwork to stay for people to enjoy. We want to find more ways that we can tell important stories through art and culture."