Government says removal of ‘graffiti’ was appropriate

A Jersey government decision to paint over floral artwork on a public toilet block in St Brelade has sparked debate over the line between public art and graffiti.

The flowers, painted on the Cotil du Grouin toilets at St Brelade’s Bay, were reportedly created earlier this month by visiting UK graffiti artist Master Skosh while he was in the island completing a private commission.

Officials from the government’s infrastructure and environment department confirmed the artwork had been removed because it was created without permission.

In a statement, the department said all unauthorised graffiti was routinely removed as part of maintaining public property, regardless of artistic intent.

“While we support public art and community projects, these works must go through the appropriate approvals process,” a spokesperson said.

The government has since invited the artist to make contact about the possibility of collaborating on authorised projects in future. Master Skosh has not publicly commented.

The move has prompted criticism online, with some islanders questioning why decorative artwork was treated the same as vandalism.

Jersey mural artist Ben Robertson, who works under the name bokraworld and has previously partnered with the government on public murals, said regulations were necessary when it came to artwork on public buildings.

He said permission was the key distinction between graffiti and sanctioned public art.

“We have to have rules and regulations, otherwise anyone could paint anything anywhere,” he said.

Robertson added that although the artwork depicted flowers, that did not automatically make it acceptable.

“Art is subjective,” he said. “Just because it’s a flower doesn’t make it different from a tag or a name.”

He also noted Jersey did not have the same large-scale graffiti culture seen in bigger cities, making permission and oversight especially important on the island.