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.”
Graffiti of a woman in a leotard and a neck brace waving a ribbon is seen on the wall of a destroyed building in Irpin on November 11, 2022 in Kyiv Region, Ukraine.
Ed Ram/Getty Images
Irpin lies at the doorstep of Kyiv and was the site of a deadly Russian occupation in March when forces swept through the area. The BBC reports that around 290 civilians were killed, many shot by Russian forces during a month of terror in the town’s southwestern quarter, witnesses said.
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A fourth unconfirmed work was spotted north of Irpin in the Hostomel neighbourhood of the Kyiv region. The mural shows a person in a dressing gown with hair curlers and wearing a gas mask, holding a fire extinguisher. The person is standing on top of an abandoned chair and was spray-painted on the mustard-yellow wall of a destroyed building.
