A new mural popped up in Banksy’s hometown yesterday baring all the hallmarks of the elusive artist. Located in Barton hill, precisely where he started painting graffiti in his early days, the new artwork depicts a little girl holding a slingshot toward the sky with an explosion of red roses and poppies.

It’s a clear nod to his iconic artwork Girl with Balloon, but the heart balloon is smashed in pieces of roses and poppies. The girl is in the rebellious pose, reminiscent of his Flower Thrower image.

It is the second attempt to destruct this image. We think about ‘Love is in the bin’ performance in 2018 where the artist self destructed his artwork live during Sotheby’s auction.

Timing is also essential, as it coincides both with the recent auction sale of Vote for Love for 1,15 million pounds (here) at Sothebys , and Valentines day.

So is there no hope now for Love?