Culture
16 Nov 22

Banksy unveils seven new murals in Ukraine

New murals by Banksy have appeared in Ukraine. Photo credit Ed Ram.

Rumours that Banksy was in the country began to spread on social media last week, after art pieces boasting his signature black-and-white stencilled style were spotted across Ukraine.

English graffiti-artist Banksy has confirmed that he has painted seven new murals in a number of war-torn Ukrainian cities, including Borodyanka, the country’s capital Kyiv, and its suburb of Irpin.

His latest work shows a gymnast on a building in Borodyanka, which was devastated by Russian shelling.

The renowned artist, who is famous for his political activism and anti-authoritarian art, shared the mural on Instagram, with the simple caption "Borodyanka, Ukraine".

Borodyanka, which is located around 30 miles (48km) north west of Kyiv, was one of the areas worst affected by Russia's bombardment of Ukraine in the aftermath of the invasion on February 24th.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Banksy (@banksy)

The painting depicts a gymnast doing a handstand amid debris. Another mural shows a woman in a dressing gown next to a burnt out window, her face covered by a gas mask. She is holding a bright red fire extinguisher.

Yet another mural depicts a dancer with a neck brace performing with a ribbon, skillfully balancing on a hole on the side of a building in Irpin, while a fourth one shows a young boy throwing a man who resembles Vladimir Putin to the ground, both dressed in martial arts uniform. The Russian president is a judo black belt and known to be an admirer of the martial art.

More street-art by #Banksy in #Ukraine appears pic.twitter.com/8XOFsvatvN

— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) November 13, 2022

Rumours that Banksy was in Ukraine began to spread on social media last week, after art pieces boasting his signature black-and-white stencilled style were spotted in the country.

The series of murals is the first since last summer's "Great British Spraycation", when the graffiti artist left his mark on sites across a number of British coastal towns.

Last year, Banksy raised money for social and political causes, auctioning his painting Game Changer, which celebrates nurses as superheros, for a record £16.7 million at Christie's in London.

Banksy, whose true identity is still cause for speculation, is one of the world's most famous artists. He rose to prominence with striking murals around Bristol in the early 1990s, while his art has since appeared in London, Paris, New York and many other cities around the world.

His best-known pieces include Balloon Girl (2002), Flower Thrower (2007) and Kissing Coppers (2004).