Known for his dark humor and antiauthoritarian masterpieces, anonymous street artist Banksy continues to make headlines. This Bristol-born activist, and film director’s true identity is subject to speculation, but his signature artwork is instantly recognized.

Recently commemorating the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine turned one of Banksy’s murals just outside Kyiv into an inspirational postage stamp. The mural depicts a young boy effortlessly slamming a man to the ground in a judo match. While not specifically stated, this man is presumed to be Vladimir Putin. His recent pieces in Ukraine – a series of murals painted on war-torn buildings continue to inspire hope and in true Banksy fashion never shy away from the truth.

Banksy has done many other works with such powerful messages. His latest and very timely Valentine’s Day Mascara mural for example, depicts violence against women. The piece shows a 1950s battered housewife with a black eye disposing her husband’s dead body into a freezer. Illustration of his brutal truth storytelling abilities is found in so much of his artwork. Another example is his Let Them Eat Crack nod to Wallstreet in Soho, New York. The reference is a play on words about class inequality a la Marie Antoinette’s “let them eat cake”.  The artist’s mural calls out Wallstreet as the greedy coldblooded rats in suits he sees them as. This further punctuating the wealthy 1%’s disinterest in what they would consider ‘lower income societal issues’ like the crack epidemic.

Perhaps even more significant, inspiring even, has been the adoring global embrace of Banksy’s genius.  Banksy is no question one of the most influential and beloved artists of our current era and generation. Whether it comes from die-hard fans who’ve discovered his identity but kept it a secret, or Ukrainian officials installing shock-proof protective glass over his murals. His Valentine’s Day Mascara piece about domestic violence discovered in Kent after being dismantled was even moved to the Margate’s Dreamland theme park for all to enjoy.

In spite of Banksy’s clever and provocative appeal, his work will continually remind us of his messages to the world: “there is always hope”.

And above all, “one original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings”.

– Michelle Kim

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Chris Devers, On Flickr, Creative Commons
Body Image: Banksy, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons