The Banksy graffiti that was attempted to be stolen by cutting it from the wall in Hostomel is now being stored in the National Reserve “Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
This artwork was created by the street artist on the wall of a building in the de-occupied Kyiv region. Banksy depicted a woman with a fire extinguisher in curlers sitting on a chair in front of a burned-out window.
This piece serves as a symbol of horror and protest against the war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. At the Lavra, which has finally freed itself from spiritual Russian occupation, the graffiti will be kept in “open funds,” which are accessible for public viewing, reports the National Reserve.
Banksy took on this theme to draw the world's attention to Ukraine and the brutality of Russian occupiers. Now his graffiti is preserved in a place where the struggle for Ukrainian culture, history, and values for the future continues.
From Wikipedia. Banksy is the pseudonym of the notoriously famous English underground artist graffiti creator, political activist, and director, whose identity remains unknown. There are speculations that Swiss artist Metr de Casson could be Banksy, but de Casson denies this on his website.
There is much debate surrounding his biography and real name. According to the most common versions, his real name is Robert or Robin Banks.
It is believed that Banksy was born in 1974 in the English city of Bristolь. In the late 1990s, he began engaging in graffiti and operated for quite some time as a regular writer, but over time, his artworks became increasingly large-scale, making it harder for him to escape from the police. One time, while hiding from English police, Banksy decided to start using stencils to save time.
Thanks to his talent and the sharp social themes of his artwork, Banksy quickly gained popularity first in England and then worldwide. The most astonishing thing is that he still maintains his anonymity.
In November 2022, Banksy secretly visited Ukraine. He created seven pieces of graffiti in Kyiv (at the intersection of Khreshchatyk Street and Heavenly Hundred Heroes Alley, and on Velyka Zhytomyrska Street, 13), as well as in Irpin (on Hostomel Highway, 158), Borodyanka (on Central Street, 253 and 427), Hostomel (on Proskurivska Street, 10), and Horenka (on Sadova Street, 21) — in locations that suffered the most from Russian bombings at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In December 2022, the artist Banksy was granted the title of honorary citizen of Irpin.
On December 2, 2022, it became known that the graffiti of the woman in a gas mask with a fire extinguisher had been cut from the wall of a building in Hostomel. The artwork was valued at 9 million hryvnias[. Some art dealers even suggested that the price could range from one to 10 million US dollars. On the same day, the police arrested a group of eight individuals involved in the theft and seized the wrapped graffiti.