The 10-Year-Old Graffiti Artist Who’s Tagging London With Chickens

The anonymous graffiti artist started experimenting with graffiti when she was in secondary school and has since forged a career out of her unique-style street art.

Unlike other politically charged graffiti artists, Binty Bint is known for her colourful and happy chickens that decorate dustbins, garage doors, houses and playgroups all over the UK.

And daughter Lola was instrumental in choosing Binty Bint’s signature chicken.

The artist said: “I didn’t want to do letters because everyone does letters and I don’t like letters that you can’t read. So I thought I’d something that, like, my children would see and would make them smile. 

“I drew a chicken one night and Lola came down the next morning, I think Lola was about four at the time, and she goes ‘ooh I like your chicken in wellies’. I thought if she likes the chicken and she can tell what it is, that’ll do me. 

The colourful artist is making sure her daughter Lola understand the importance of being respectful in their graffiti work, unlike her own initial experience of graffiti.  

She said: “When I painted when I was younger at school, I think I was more into vandalism should we say, than art.

“I didn’t have quite the respect that I have matured to now. My parents weren’t quite as approving back then, shall we say.”

In spite of her success, the artist wishes to remain anonymous: “I like to keep my identity anonymous because I don’t think the art is really about me. It’s about the art - I don’t think you really need to know what I look like, what I get up to and all that jazz. 

Since she was tiny, Lola has been painting with her mum and the family use every opportunity to practice on their graffiti wall in the garden to perfect their graffiti skills. 

Binty Bint said: “It’s lovely, because I get to spend time with Lola and always create something beautiful together!”

Lola added: “I really like when she does abandoned places, because it’s sort of hidden away and it’s not that the whole world gets to see it. But if you go there and see it, it means you’re one of the people who experience her art work. 

“There’s no actual limit, but there is, in a way, but you can paint whatever you want. And it doesn’t matter because the world won’t always judge you, because they will never really know who it’s from if they’ve never heard of the artist.”

While graffiti art is frequently associated with making political statements, Binty Bint has always tried to keep her work away from politics, instead choosing to create art that makes people smile and is open to interpretation.

Binty Bint’s latest commission was at Giggles Pre-School, the artistic mother-daughter duo painted a bright welcome sign for all the pre-school’s visitors. 

Lorraine Moloney, Giggles Pre-School Manager, said: “I’ve seen it around town, I’ve seen it on some houses and garage doors and some dustbins, and I just thought how colourful they were. 

“And just thought the nursery would really benefit from some lovely colourful chickens and when she said she would do one for us we were really over the moon.”

The artist said: “I like to think it’s family friendly. I don’t wanna offend anyone, there’s no hidden message, there’s no politics. It’s just a chicken I think you should make of it what you wanna make of it. 

“Interpret it how you want to, but it is just a happy chicken, because everyone loves chickens don’t they?”

See more of Binty Bint’s work at: https://bintybint.com