An artwork by Banksy that has been dismantled numerous times since it appeared in Margate this week will be permanently relocated to the town’s Dreamland theme park. The mural, titled Valentine’s Day Mascara, appears to be on the theme of domestic abuse and fighting violence against women. It depicts a caricature of a 1950s housewife, wearing a blue pinny and yellow washing-up gloves, with a swollen eye and a missing tooth, who is seen pushing her male partner into a chest freezer. A real-life freezer that was incorporated in the piece was removed twice after the artwork was discovered in Kent on Tuesday. Margate’s amusement park Dreamland will now house the piece so it remains “accessible to all those who want to come and enjoy it”. A statement shared by Dreamland Margate on Twitter said: “We’re thrilled to have been asked to host Margate’s Banksy, enabling the artwork to remain in the town and accessible to all those who want to come and enjoy it for the foreseeable future. “When everything has been finalised we’ll let you all know.” On Tuesday, the chest freezer was removed by a local council “on the grounds of safety”. A broken garden chair, blue crate and empty beer bottle next to the image were also taken away. All the pieces were subsequently returned by Thanet district council, which said on Wednesday it was in contact with the property owner to discuss ways to preserve the piece. However, on Thursday, the Red Eight Gallery in London removed the freezer for a second time and said it was in storage with permission from the homeowner, before a permanent home could be found for the entire work. The chief executive of the gallery, Julian Usher, previously told the PA news agency that the homeowner stipulated that they wished for a local charity supporting prevention of domestic abuse against women to benefit, along with the piece being used to raise awareness in Margate and nationally. The elusive street artist confirmed they were behind the artwork by sharing a series of photos of the piece on their Instagram account on Tuesday. After the artwork was originally dismantled, North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale, whose constituency includes Margate, told PA: “I think it’s an extremely impressive and extremely clever piece of art. “And I hope and believe that it can and it should be preserved and displayed safely so that as many people as possible can see it.” In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org
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