Prolific street artist Banksy has travelled to Ukraine to paint a series of murals in response to Russia’s invasion.
A painting of a gymnast doing a handstand popped up on the wall of a wrecked building outside of Kyiv, and it appeared to be the work of the British graffiti artist.
Banksy posted photos on his Instagram page of the artwork in Borodyanka, northwest of Ukraine’s capital, a few days ago, and has now posted a video of his trip to Ukraine, which showed the behind-the-scenes process.
The town was the target of shelling and fighting in the early stages of the Russian invasion, which turned apartment buildings into charred, bombed-out hulks.
The mural of the gymnast is in black and white and is painted so that she looks like she is doing her handstand on the crumpled remains of concrete blocks that poke out of the blackened wall. Towering above her are the gutted, blown-apart innards of what were once apartments.
Another mural in the town – of a small boy doing a judo throw on a man – also looked like it might be Banksy’s and appeared in his Instagram video.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia is a judo practitioner.
Another Banksy also appeared on the wall of a war-damaged building in the town of Irpin, on Kyiv’s northwestern outskirts.
It shows a rhythmic gymnast doing a pirouette with a ribbon over a gaping hole in the wall.
Other paintings include a man taking a bath in a bombed-out building and a woman wearing a gas mask and holding a fire extinguisher.
The video posted to his Instagram features behind-the-scenes videos of his paintings as well as footage from bombed-out buildings. It also features interviews with those living through the war.
The final title card reads “In solidarity with the people of Ukraine. “.
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