Art of war Banksy aims at Putin in Ukraine
ELUSIVE Bristol street artist Banksy appears to have confirmed he is in Ukraine, ending much speculation.
The artist posted to his Instagram page on Friday night an image of a woman doing a handstand on a rock.
The street artist added the caption “Borodyanka, Ukraine” to his artwork on the side of another wartorn building.
In April this year, Russian armed forces targeted this city extensively.
The original artworks that started speculation the city artist was in Ukraine were on another demolished building in Borodyanka, showing a child throwing a man in a judo outfit to the floor.
The other artwork shows a boy and a girl on a wall sprayed in such a way as to make it look like the corner of a metal frame on the ground in front of them is a see saw.
The first sighting of the art was captured by photojournalist Ed Ram, who is in Ukraine working for photo agency Getty.
The photojournalist wrote on Instagram: “I wonder if it might be a Banksy or an imitation? Russian
President Vladimir Putin, who was a black belt in judo, was removed from his position as honorary president of the International Judo Federation in May.”
It would not be the first time
Banksy has ventured into some of the world’s conflict zones – he has travelled to Palestine many times, first to paint on or near the huge wall erected by the Israelis, and then to open a guesthouse called
The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, which opened in 2017 temporarily, but is still open to visitors today.
Back in the UK, Banksy has returned to painting in Bristol after moving back to the West Country in
recent years.
He painted another in the Girl with a Red Balloon series in Barton Hill, and then painted Aachoo on the wall at the bottom of England’s steepest residential street, Vale Street in Totterdown.
In the past year or so, he was heavily involved in supporting the Colston 4.