ELUSIVE street artist Banksy has confirmed that he is behind the new mural that has appeared outside Reading Gaol.

The prison wall has been the subject of speculation since the early hours of Monday morning (March 1) after the image appeared overnight.

The new artwork depicts a prisoner escaping from the gaol using a rope of bed sheets tied to a typewriter - prompting many to link the image to famous inmate Oscar Wilde. 

Banksy has this afternoon (March 4) uploaded a video him creating the work to his verified social media page on Instagram - seemingly signalling the Reading mural to be his own work.

Reading Chronicle:

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The video is a take on the 1980s instructional TV show The Joy of Panting with Bob Ross *with Banksy. It continues to show, under the cover of darkness, how the artist created the incredible image on the prison wall using his iconic stencilling.

The video uses the voice over from Bob Ross, as you can also hear sirens in the background and cars seemingly passing by the prison as it is being created.

A voice over says 'Painting to me represents freedom' as drone footage continues to show the image on the side of Reading Prison wall, and shows two police officers inspecting the image.

Reading Chronicle:

Banksy has dubbed the image 'Create Escape'.

It is the latest in a long line of images to appear around the country over many years, the most recent to also feature on the artist's Instagram is the Bristol mural depicting an old woman sneezing as her dentures fly into the air. 

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The work dubbed "Aachoo!!" by the artist himself appeared on the side of a house in Totterdown, Bristol, in December 2020.