How Is Banksy Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic?
COVID-19 has taken the whole world into its dire arms. The lasting effect of the calamity is palpable on each and every continent, and it seems that humanity will require quite some time to recover from the pandemic. It is hard to find someone who is not agonizing over the current situation. The art world is no exception, and here special attention should be paid to the most wanted street artist Banksy who, as a thought leader of millions, joined the fight against the virus.
Art vs COVID-19: how Banksy wages war on the pandemic
Banksy has never given up the struggle to fight all the life’s indignities through his magnificent stencil murals. With the advent of the coronavirus conundrum, the most renowned street artist started a new line in his art, which is directly related to the coronavirus pandemic. For now, there are two distinct pieces that refer to various aspects of the coronavirus narrative.
The first one is referred to as “Bathroom.” It is a whole art installation depicting rats’ debauchery in the bathroom, where every rat has a special role. One is swinging from a light cord, whereas another is counting the days of lockdown, which lies in the understanding of this piece. With this work, Banksy has reproduced all sweets of people’s life and boredom haunting everyone locked within a house.
The second piece, called “Game Changer,” is Banksy’s homage to health care workers around the world. Today, it hangs in Southampton Hospital in Southampton, England. It is a brilliant artwork that shows a child playing with a nurse doll put side by side with Superman and Batman dolls. The message is crystal clear and quite whole-souled: health care workers are the real heroes of our time.
Even though Banksy, like most of us, cannot fight COVID-19 directly, he presents to the whole world a meaningful message as his own contribution to the war with the devastating virus. Such is the style of Banksy.
