Banksy artwork appears on shelled, destroyed building in Ukraine
Global News
Banksy shared photos of the artwork which was spray-painted on the side of a building in Borodyanka, Ukraine.
Famed graffiti artist Banksy unveiled a new mural on Friday on the side of a destroyed building in Borodyanka, a Ukrainian town that was heavily shelled and then later occupied by Russian forces in the early days of the war.
The anonymous artist, known for his often-political, guerilla-style street art, revealed the new piece on social media, but photos show that there may be other Banksy pieces in Ukraine that the artist didn’t immediately disclose.
In an Instagram post, Banksy shared photos of the artwork, depicting a young gymnast performing a handstand while balancing on a pile of concrete rubble.
A second mural was spotted in Borodyanka in Banksy’s signature spray-painted style, Reuters reported, though the artist didn’t share the piece on social media. The artwork depicts a judo spar between a small child and a man. The child, firmly planted, flips the larger man over his head — a scene similar to the biblical story of David and Goliath.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who holds a black belt in judo, is not shy about his public love of the sport. Reuters writes that the “symbolism of the piece was unmistakable.”
In March, Russia targeted the sleepy commuter village of Borodyanka with a series of missiles and powerful FAB-250 bombs, which are designed to destroy large military targets, none of which existed in the small town.
High-rise buildings were cleaved in two by the force of the detonations as Russian forces advanced through the town and on toward Kyiv. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova reported a death toll of more than 120 people and deemed the situation in Borodyanka the worst in the region in terms of civilian casualties.