Drawn in 2014 in Cheltenham, England, near the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) on a wall next to a phone booth, Banksy’s Spy Booth is an impactful mural offering a sharp critique of mass surveillance and government overreach.

Spy Booth depicts three trench-coated and hatted agents eavesdropping on the phone booth, presented with earphones and recording devices in an aesthetic reminiscent of 1950s spy films. The agents’ retro appearance creates an ironic contrast with modern surveillance technologies. The phone booth itself is a real object incorporated into the mural.

The mural emerged in 2014, a year after Edward Snowden’s revelations about the global surveillance activities of the NSA and GCHQ. Snowden’s 2013 disclosures exposed government mass data collection programs, sparking worldwide debates on privacy, surveillance, and state overreach. His revelations revealed that GCHQ monitored millions of people’s communications through programs like ‘Tempora.’

By placing the artwork just three miles from the GCHQ building, Banksy directs his critique straight to the institution’s doorstep.

Banksy urges viewers to reflect on the impact of government surveillance on individual freedoms and how privacy is threatened in the modern world, while also calling for resistance against such practices rather than remaining silent.

The piece, located on the wall of a Grade II listed building, could not be removed due to preservation laws. However, after being vandalized with silver spray paint, it was carefully restored.