Security Installed for Banksy Murals in Ukraine
By Esme Franks
Banksy is arguably the single most famous pseudonymous street artist in the world. His murals are technically classified as illegal vandalism, but they have become globally recognisable and significant, and, through this, unbelievably valuable. At Sotheby’s, in 2018, Girl With a Balloon sold for $1.4 million before promptly dropping itself through a shredder in a partially self-destructive act planned out by the artist. Interestingly, it caused the piece to triple in value. Banksy stated: “the urge to destroy is also a creative urge.” The original image was spray-painted in 2002 on a building in East London, from which it was shortly thereafter removed. Banksy often explores the theme of transience and, in a world where we constantly strive for perpetuity, it has a refreshing appeal.
A Gymnast Behind Glass: A Banksy Mural in Irpin, February 22, 2023 (Evgen Kotenko / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images)
This especially seems to be the case in Ukraine. Now a year after Putin’s invasion, much of the country’s landscape has been left a shadow of its former self. It was last year when Banksy’s murals started popping up around the cities of Borodyanka, Irpen and Gorenka, which have been interpreted as a commentary on Russia’s invasion and the ongoing war.
The exact meaning of most of the murals remains interpretive, however, they emit a clear anti-war message. One mural was painted on a destroyed kindergarten building, depicting a life-size judo match where a young boy throws an adult to the ground. This is potentially a direct reference to Putin, who was stripped of his taekwondo black belt and honorary judo title in March 2022. It has been interpreted as a modern-day translation of David & Goliath, with the small but mighty boy, representing Ukraine, vanquishing Goliath, personifying Russia. Banksy has shown the final moments of the fight, where the man is inches from the ground, suggesting that the war is nearly over, and victory is near.
Banksy’s works have sold for up to $25 million in past auctions, making those that remain in their public settings targets for thieves. One mural was already stolen by a group of men who chiselled it from a scorched wall in Ukraine. To prevent this from reoccurring, the Kyiv government has installed multiple Ajax security systems. They are now encased by transparent polycarbonate sheets which are high-tech and impact resistant, where “21 sensors and five central security systems were needed.” To suit the works’ location, they have sensors, independent of a constant power supply, which activate a siren and alert the authorities at attempted vandalism. The murals even have a life-quality device measuring humidity and temperature, maintaining their condition and prolonging their existence.
Such extreme protective measures arguably go against Banksy’s intentions when he created these works of art. He purposefully chose dangerous, unmonitored locations, but now this part of their nature has been significantly altered. The murals, made in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, are suddenly untouchable; there is now a distance – physical and psychological – between Banksy’s message and the public. Although these security systems were installed in the interest of the artworks monetary value, Banksy’s powerful symbolic language and activism is a reminder that, as Ukrainian President Zelensky recently said, “light must overcome darkness.”
Bibliography
Burrell, Miriam. “Banksy mural theft ringleader could face 12 years in jail, Ukraine says.” Evening Standard (3 Jan 2023) https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/banksy-mural-theft-ukraine-jail-b1050607.html
Harding, Lucy. ‘“A volatile canvas”: Banksy bequest in Ukraine’s rubble leaves dilemma for preservers.” The Guardian (5 Jan 2023) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/05/a-volatile-canvas-banksy-bequest-in-ukraines-rubble-leaves-dilemma-for-preservers
Howie, Lucy. “Banksy For Ukraine: New Murals of Solidarity.” My Art Broker. https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-banksy/articles/new-banksy-mural-for-ukraine-2022
Liptak, Andrew. “One of Banksy’s paintings self-destructed just after it was auctioned.” The Verge. (7 Oct 2018) https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/7/17947744/banksy-ballon-girl-artwork-self-destructed-sothbys
Novak, Matt. “Ukraine Installs High-Tech Security System To Preserve Banksy Paintings.” Forbes (23 Feb 2023) https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/02/23/ukraine-installs-high-tech-security-system-to-preserve-banksy-paintings/?sh=733c7e944268