Hendog comments on mandatory national service with Salisbury art

Hendog, an anonymous artist based in Hampshire, appeared in Salisbury on Tuesday morning, August 13, to paint his newest mural titled 'Mandatory Imagination Service'.

The piece of art illustrates a young boy holding a hobby horse and a wooden sword, with a gold crown placed on his head.

He is seemingly calling to battle, marching towards an arrowed sign leading ‘to Battle’, with another sign pointing the opposite way, leading ‘to Kingdom’. 

Upon completing the mural, Hendog said: "Imagination is the only service that should be mandatory."

'Mandatory Imaginary Service' (Image: Newsquest)

Hendog has painted the streets of the South for over three years since his debut in Winchester, notably creating murals for hospitals, food pantries and dementia care facilities.

Some of his social commentary pieces create awareness for suicide, homelessness, the cost of living crisis, cobalt mining, the Ukrainian refugee crises and mental health.

Hendog's first Salisbury mural of a girl holding a camera titled 'Smile' was painted in August 2021 and it can still be seen in Fish Row today.

Read more: ​Hendog reveals reason behind graffiti at Salisbury Framemakers

Residents and visitors approached by the Journal were wholly positive about the new painting.

Jack Gill, who has been carrying out groundwork on the Fisherton Gateway project for the past four months, saw Hendog arrange his stencils but assumed he was painting a new sign for Allsorts.

Upon returning from a break, Mr Gill was greeted with the complete mural. He said: "It definitely makes the place look nicer and it gets the attention away from the groundworkers.

"It's a positive thing - it looks alright."

Hendog obtained permission for the painting from the landowner. (Image: Newsquest)

Steve Warner, from Salisbury, was showing his father-in-law Gino Daurat round Salisbury when the pair stumbled across the new mural.

Taking stabs at what the political message behind the mural could be, Mr Warner said: "I'll be honest with you, I see it as a nice piece of wall art which fills out what would have been a blank space.

"I quite like it. I think it's a very subtle political message."

Mr Daurat, an architect who lives in Welwyn Garden City, said: "It's a call to arms for the youth of today. It might suggest naivety."

Salisbury resident Matt Sutton stopped to check out the mural with his family, he said: "I love the murals on the toilet block and River Park. It's good, it adds to the city."