Banksy Confirms Gymnast Graffiti in Ukraine Is Authentic — Retail Bum

After numerous artworks surfaced in Ukraine, Banksy has confirmed that at least one of those pieces is officially theirs.

Some pieces that have surfaced across Borodyanka, a town near Kyiv, include children using a metal tank trap as a seesaw and another which features a man, perhaps Russian President Vladimir Putin, being defeated in a Judo match against a child.

However, the one confirmed Banksy is the one on the side of a destroyed building. It features a female gymnast in a leotard performing a handstand on a pile of rubble.

While a Banksy piece is always iconic, this piece, in particular, holds more prominence as Borodyanka is noted as one of the first towns to be struck by Russia during the beginning of its invasion.

Russian troops were noted to enter from the Belarusian border 200 miles to the north and occupied the town in February 2022. During this time, Russia unleashed cluster munitions and powerful unguided bombs in the populated areas of Borodianka, destroying dozens of buildings.

Since the attack, Ukrainian investigators have uncovered dozens of mass graves of civilians who were tortured and killed.

According to The Guardian, Borodyank has since been liberated and is currently being reconstructed.

Photo(s) credit: Banksy

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on November 13, 2022.