Solidarity with Ukraine (Banksy)

Solidarity with Ukraine is an unofficial title often given to the series of Banksy street murals that appeared in Ukraine in November 2022.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), Kyiv

Background

All of the murals in the series portray the reality of war and the suffering of the Ukrainian people. One image of a woman in a bathrobe wearing a gas mask was removed from the wall, believed to be in an attempt to sell and profit from Banksy's artwork. ^[1] Ukrainian media reported that the perpetrator could face up to 12 years in jail for the crime. ^[2]

Artwork

In total, Banksy was responsible for seven different artworks in the nation. ^[3] Among those:

• two children using a metal tank trap as a seesaw (Kyiv);
• a young boy throwing a man to the floor during a judo match; the man is seen as putin who’s known to have gone in for judo (Borodianka, a rural settlement in Kyiv Oblast);
• a gymnast doing a handstand (Borodianka);
• a woman in her dressing gown, hair in curlers, wearing a gas mask and holding a fire extinguisher (Hostomel, a rural settlement in Kyiv Oblast);
• another gymnast with a ribbon (Irpin, a city in Kyiv Oblast);
• an old bearded man taking a bath (Horenka, a village in Kyiv Oblast);
• the piece in which the artist used an existing phallic graffiti as a nuclear warhead loaded onto a Russian (marked with Z) armoured military truck (Kyiv).

Children of War and Judo Match were the most notable artworks.

See also

• List of works by Banksy

References

1. Hernández, Javier C. (3 January 2023). "Activist who removed Banksy mural from Kyiv suburb could face prison, police say". The New York Times.
2. Harding, Luke (5 January 2023). "'A volatile canvas': Banksy bequest in Ukraine's rubble leaves dilemma for preservers". The Guardian .
3. "Banksy - Ukraine (November 2022)". Banksy YouTube. 17 November 2022.