​Artist creates Banksy replica mocking the sale of his Lowestoft artwork

A new mural has been placed in the same spot where a Banksy artwork was removed and sold for an estimated £2 million earlier this year.

Poking fun at those who profited from the artwork, Joe Thompson - an artist and graphic designer - replicated the piece with a funny take on Banksy’s original.

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The original artwork was painted on the side of an electrical shop in Lowestoft, Suffolk, last summer, and was subsequently removed at the beginning of the year to be sold off privately. The painting was sold for an undisclosed sum but was thought to fetch up to £2 million.

The artwork depicted a girl with a crowbar in front of a pile of sand attempting to build a sandcastle, which has now been reimagined by Thompson. The piece was one of ten appearing in quick succession from the elusive artist last summer.

Thompson recreated the artwork as a ‘Banksy vending machine’ with multiple copies of the painting inside, mocking the rapid nature of the arts sales world.

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“Like everyone else I felt a real pride that he'd come to Lowestoft and the surrounding area and done that (painted his artwork) because Lowestoft needs a bit of a boost,” Thompson said on the piece.

“So obviously we all felt a bit of a kick in the teeth when we thought someone had just said 'that's worth a lot of money, I'll just dig it out of a wall and send it abroad’.

“Part of me thought, well, if that's what they want, maybe we need a vending machine where they can just press a few buttons and Banksys can just keep coming out.”

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter