He may be one of the most famously elusive artists around, but Banksy has welcomed followers into his home (specifically his bathroom) to share a brand new, lockdown-inspired artwork.
Published on his official Instagram page this week, five photos show several rats, in what appears to be the artist's signature stencil style, wreaking havoc in the bathroom, along with the caption: "My wife hates it when I work from home". Can't say we blame her. Check out our guide to working from home like a pro if your job is a little more, er, traditional.
A photo posted by @banksy on Apr 15, 2020 at 10:45am PDT
There are nine rats in total, with one swinging from the light cord and another making a tally of numbers on the wall – possibly counting down the days of lockdown. Another rat appears to be doing something rather unsavoury on the toilet, complete with unidentified brown liquid. We're beginning to sympathise with Banksy's wife even more. It's certainly an entertaining artwork, filled with Banksy's trademark wit. While it's a rare treat to see his work indoors, it does make us realise how perfectly it works on the street – this isn't a piece we could see fitting in our own home.
A detail from Banksy's bathroom artwork (Image credit: Banksy)
While pre-lockdown life feels like years ago, Banksy's last public artwork was revealed just a couple of months back, on Valentine's Day. The piece, featuring a stencil of a girl firing red flowers from a catapult, appeared in the artists' home town of Bristol. Sadly, it lasted just a few days before being vandalised and subsequently covered. Hopefully Banksy's bathroom masterpiece is slightly safer – although if his wife isn't keen, perhaps it isn't.
Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.
