Banksy unveils NY artwork protesting painter’s imprisonment in Turkey

Street artist Banksy unveiled a 70-foot long mural in New York City on Thursday to protest the imprisonment of a Kurdish painter in Turkey.

The anonymous artist’s mural features Zehra Dogan trapped behind prison bars, with her left hand holding a pencil that doubles as one of the bars, photos posted on social media show.

New Banksy mural speaks out against Turkish-Kurdish artist’s imprisonment https://t.co/aHffmw0Plk pic.twitter.com/BaTZQVcO9y

— hyperallergic (@hyperallergic) March 16, 2018

Dogan was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for painting a Kurdish town that had been reduced to rubble. In that painting, Turkish flags were draped over the destroyed buildings.

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An image of the painting was projected onto the wall over Banksy’s work on Thursday, according to the BBC, along with a message about Dogan’s prison sentence.

“Sentenced to 2 years nine months and 22 days in jail for painting this picture,” the message read.

Banksy expressed empathy for Dogan in a statement to The New York Times, saying he had done work far more deserving of punishment.

“I really feel for her. I’ve painted things much more worthy of a custodial sentence,” said the guerrilla artist, who remains anonymous.