Street Artist Banksy Goes Pro-Mask in Latest Artwork in The London Underground
The London Underground became the latest canvas for street artist Bansky, where he spray-painted a series commenting on the current COVID-19 pandemic. His pictures featured rats with masks and hand sanitizer. His message: "If you don't mask - you don't get it."
Bansky posted a video to his 9.9 million followers of himself walking into London's subway in a cleaner's outfit. He used stencils to spray-paint three separate pieces of artwork on the walls of subway cars. The three pictures included a sneezing rat without a mask on, a rat parachuting with a mask on and finally, a rat dangling over graffitied letters with a hand sanitizer bottle.
As the video ends, "I get lockdown" is written on a wall during a stop, and "but I get up again" appears as the doors close. This is a playful riff of the lyrics "I get knocked down, but I get up again," from the 1970 song Tubthumping, by Chumbawamba.
Banksy fans searched the subway for the art but his work was removed by Transport for London unknowingly, because of the strict anti-graffiti policy. Though Banksy's art was removed, the TFL told CNN they were grateful for "the sentiment of encouraging people to wear face coverings."
Banksy has been an anonymous street artist and graffitist since his debut in 1990. His work tends to be politically themed and appears on unsuspecting areas all over the world. This isn't Bansky's first artwork addressing coronavirus: He posted an Instagram of his bathroom covered in drawings of rats, 13 weeks ago, captioned "My wife hates it when I work from home."
Banksy is preaching a message that many countries have been trying to enforce for months now. The CDC continues to encourage Americans to wear a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Another effective way to stay healthy is to boost your immune system with fruits and vegetables. Eating a diet high in vitamin-C, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids help eliminate inflammation and improve the function of infection-fighting cells. Vitamin D and Zinc are also powerful nutrients that build a strong immune system. Wearing a mask and eating these foods will keep you at your healthiest and give you the best defense against the virus.