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Graffiti artist Banksy makes an art stop in Woodside

Graffiti artist Banksy makes an art stop in Woodside
By Kevin Zimmerman

Although at its core the nature of Banksy’s work is temporary, he probably hoped his Queens piece would last more than a day before being vandalized.

The mural, on 38th Avenue at 69th Street, was discovered Monday and by Tuesday morning had been partially concealed by black and red spray paint including one message that read, “[expletive deleted] Banksy.”

After two weeks bouncing between Manhattan and Brooklyn as part of his citywide art show, graffiti artist Banksy finally made a stop in Queens sometime in the wee hours of Monday.

Banksy’s latest work showed a man who has started to scrub off the sentence, “What we do in life echoes in Eternity,” a line from the movie “Gladiator.”

The man holds a bucket in one hand and sponge in the other as he tackles the pink lettering.

On his blog, Better Out Than In, Banksy confirmed he created the artwork. He also included a retort to some of his critics.

“Some people criticize me for using sources that are a bit lowbrow (this quote is from ‘Gladiator’) but you know what? ‘I’m just going to use that hostility to make me stronger, not weaker,’ as Kelly Rowland said on the X Factor.”

Banksy started a month-long residency on the streets of New York City Oct. 1.

He has created both spray-painted murals on walls around the city as well as mobile artworks in the backs of panel trucks that are then driven around town.

Reach news editor Kevin Zimmerman at kzimmerman@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4541.