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Malta Police ‘Unable To Find’ Xlendi Cliffs Graffiti Artist

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Photo: Steve Micallef Eynaud 

A popular British artist who caused outrage when he sprayed graffiti on the cliffside of Xlendi Valley and signed his work has vanished off the grid of the Maltese police force. 

“There is an investigation. We are wanting to speak to [Nathan Bowen],” a spokesperson for the Maltese police told the London Evening Standard. “We have tried, but we have not been able to find him. We are actively looking for him.”

The graffiti has been adorning the Xlendi cliffside since at least July but only went viral a few days ago, following a Facebook post by surgeon and photographer Steve Micallef Eynaud. 

The London Evening Standard, who picked up the story, also spoke to Bowen’s mother.

“I don’t even know he had been to Malta. I’m going to call him right away,” she said.

Lovin Malta has contacted the police for comment. 

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Bowen, 30, hails from South East London, and he once appeared on BBC’s The Apprentice back in 2012, in an episode where the candidates attempted to sell street art. Participants on the show had described Bowen as “like a crazy workman alien peeing on another crazy workman alien”.

Yet his latest work has hardly impressed the Maltese public, who flooded Bowen’s Facebook page with posts – which have since been deleted- decrying his Xlendi work as an act of vandalism. 

“Well done for defacing one of our island’s most important heritage sites,” one of the posts said. “What might have been acceptable under a bridge in Croydon or Brixton certainly was not acceptable in this place. Your selfish disregard for our natural heritage for pure commercial gain has left the island nation stunned!”

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London street artist Nathan Bowen. Photo: Lumo

The Gozo Tourism Association also joined the fray, urging people with any information on Bowen to contact the police. 

The Xlendi cliffside has become a popular tourist hotspot after it was used as the backdrop for Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding scene in the first season of Game of Thrones.

Lovin Malta has attempted to contact Nathan Bowen for comment. 

Was this an act of vandalism or artistic genius? Let us know in the comments’ section

READ NEXT: Turn White Rocks Into An Art Park Instead Of Another Commercial Development

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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