Banksy showcases new mural in war-scarred Ukrainian city By Reuters

BORODYANKA, Ukraine (Reuters) – Famend graffiti artist Banksy unveiled a piece within the Ukrainian city of Borodyanka, which had been occupied by Russia till April and closely broken by combating within the early days of Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour.

Banksy posted a photograph of the mural – a woman gymnast performing a handstand on a small pile of concrete rubble – on Instagram late on Friday. The work was painted onto the wall of a constructing destroyed by shelling.

No less than one different piece of latest graffiti in Banksy’s signature fashion, though not posted by the mercurial artist on social media, was noticed in Borodyanka, portraying a person being flipped in judo by a a lot smaller little one.

The symbolism of that piece was unmistakeable: an allusion to the biblical story of David and Goliath, the unlikely triumph of the underdog, in addition to a nod to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s much-publicised love of the Japanese martial artwork.

A number of curious onlookers got here to see the paintings, a few of whom had made the 60 km drive from Ukraine’s capital metropolis, Kyiv.

“That is such a historic second for our nation, that individuals like Banksy and different well-known figures are coming right here and exhibiting the world what Russia has finished to us,” mentioned one of many visiting Kyivans, 31-year-old Alina Mazur.