Vandalized Banksy Graffiti Restored by Vigilante Vandals

The restored Banksy piece / photo by Billy Craven

On Saturday evening while talking with friends about the recently discovered Banksy pieces in Chicago, we came to the consensus that the most vulnerable of the works was "you concrete me". With it's quiet Pilsen location and it's cartoon word bubble being an obvious target, the piece seemed ripe for something quick and cheeky. Sunday morning we received a tip from our friend Billy Craven over at Blah+Blah+Blog that a local crew had indeed attacked the piece overnight. The result (seen below) was nonsensical, devoid of style, and overall pretty lame.

Defaced Banksy / photo by Billy Craven

Now we aren't the type who think every outdoor Banksy piece should be sealed behind plexiglass for protection, but the result of this particular attack left us feeling a little annoyed. Evidently we weren't alone in this sentiment. Yesterday Blah+Blah+Blog reported that a group of local street artists had taken matters into their own hands and restored the Banksy piece under cover of darkness. Cheers for the vigilante vandals!

Photos of damaged and restored Banksy courtesy of Blah+Blah+Blog.

Second Banksy in Chicago Confirmed

We just knew that there had to be more than one Banksy piece here in Chicago. We were beginning to feel a little slighted when we saw that Detroit, Toronto and Boston had all received multiple hits from Mr. B after his stop in the Windy City. For some reason we kept looking for "you concrete me" in particular, around the West Loop. As it turns out we were looking in the completely wrong area.

Local photographer Molly Kolecki, however, was looking in the correct area down in Pilsen and she stumbled upon the piece and posted a photo on her Flickr on May 13th. The Banksy piece is on 16th Street between Carpenter and Racine. The eyes are spray paint, the white bubble is not stenciled, and the handwriting is in oilstick. Now where's the next hidden gem?

Check out our Flickr for detailed photos of this piece and an additional unconfirmed rat that we believe may be authentic as well.

You can view this piece in the "outdoor" section of Banksy's site www.banksy.co.uk.

Banksy in Chicago

On Friday a picture was posted in the "outdoor" section on Banksy's website. The image appeared to show a new Banksy stencil piece with Chicago's own Sears / Willis Tower in the background. The work is classic Banksy and a visual nod to "The Untouchables" and "The Battleship Potemkin" . Or it could just be a pram rolling down some stairs. In any case, we have found the image and are thrilled to bring you the world's first detailed pictures of the piece. If you ask us nicely we may even tell you where it is located.

OK, we wouldn't be that mean. It's on the corner of Randolph and Peoria on the side of an Indian restaurant. Better go see it quickly before Mayor Daley's Graffiti Blasters destroy it forever.

Check out Banksy's work on his website banksy.co.uk and peep our Flickr for more pics.