Banksy's latest London Underground stunt features Covid rats and Tubthumping anthem
Banksy posted a one-minute video on Instagram showing a man in hazmat gear, presumably the artist himself, entering a London Underground carriage and spray-painting walls with Covid-themed rat figures instead of disinfectant. The rats are depicted wearing masks as balloons, tangled in masks, vandalizing with spray cans, and sneezing green paint. The video ends with the phrases "I get lockdown" and "but I get up again," referencing the Tubthumping song. The stunt echoes earlier home bathroom rat graffiti during the pandemic. Separately, Banksy's Venice migrant child mural was temporarily defaced with black tape on the mouth on July 12, 2020, but the tape was removed within the day, possibly to refocus attention on migrant issues. Additionally, the Bataclan door painted by Banksy in June 2018, stolen in January 2019 and recovered in Abruzzo, was displayed at Palazzo Farnese in Rome on France's national day and returned to the French ambassador.
Key facts
- Banksy posted a video on Instagram on July 14, 2020, showing a man in hazmat suit painting rat figures in a London Underground carriage.
- The video is titled 'London Underground – undergoes deep clean' and lasts one minute.
- The rats are depicted using masks as balloons, tangled in masks, vandalizing with spray cans, and sneezing green paint.
- The video ends with the phrases 'I get lockdown' and 'but I get up again,' referencing Tubthumping's lyrics.
- Banksy's Venice migrant child mural was defaced with black tape on the mouth on July 12, 2020, but the tape was removed within the day.
- The Bataclan door by Banksy, stolen in January 2019, was recovered in Abruzzo and displayed at Palazzo Farnese in Rome on July 14, 2020, before being returned to France.
- The Bataclan door was originally painted in June 2018 and depicts a sad girl.
- The investigation into the Bataclan door theft is ongoing.
Entities
Artists
- Banksy
Institutions
- Artribune
- Carabinieri
- Palazzo Farnese
- Bataclan
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Venice
- Italy
- Abruzzo
- Rome
- Paris
- France
- San Pantalon
- Alba Adriatica
- Teramo