Inked Mag Staff
April 29th, 2015
Street Artist Wanksy Paints Penises Over Potholes
GALLERY OF POTHOLE PICS BELLOW THE TEXT Tired of waiting for those orange-vested city workers to take care of your streets? So was British street artist Wanksy, whose name is…
GALLERY OF POTHOLE PICS BELLOW THE TEXT
Tired of waiting for those orange-vested city workers to take care of your streets? So was British street artist Wanksy, whose name is obviously a tribute to the slightly more famous street artist Banksy. The mysterious graffiti artist has been spray-painting penises over potholes around Manchester in order to direct official attention to the damaged streets and have them do something about them.
“The roads in Manchester are in an appalling state,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “I have cyclist friends who have been hospitalized.”
Wanksy claims that he wanted to attract attention to potholes in a memorable way and “nothing seemed to do this better than a giant comedy phallus.” Based on the popularity of his Facebook page, his method seems to not only entertain, but also produce results. There are several photos displaying his “art,” and there are a few photos showing some penises and their potholes covered up with fresh asphalt.
“This one is right outside of my house,” one Facebook user comments on a photo of a covered up Wanksy Work. “It took less than 2 days before it was fixed.” On another success photo, Wanksy commented, “[Potholes] Been there 8 months. A bit of art and they are filled in 48 hours. Who needs canvas with roads like these?”
The artist credits others like Grayson Perry, Hazer and, of course, Banksy as his influences, and hopes that his art will also have a message that people will get. “However, unlike these artists,” Wanksy says. “I want my work to be destroyed. I like it when it gets dug up and replaced with fresh tarmac.
Check out some of Wanksy’s work below.
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