Art News: Banksy's Coronavirus London Underground Art Erased

By Gretchen Gales

Instagram/Banksy

The anonymous street artist Banksy took his artistic skills and coronavirus commentary to a London Underground train, only to have it erased hours later. 

In a video posted to Instagram on July 15th, Banksy is seen tagging the interior of the train with stencils of rats sneezing, using masks as a parachute, and holding hand sanitizer. He also tagged the train with his signature before departing the train. And he did it all while dressed as a cleaner!

It didn't take long for the art to be cleaned off of the train, which is a huge bummer. But
the Transport of London offered a solution to Banksy: "the chance to do a new version of his message for our customers in a suitable location." But what could be more suitable than a crowded train? 

This isn't the first coronavirus art Banksy has created. In May, he posted "Game Changer", a tribute to nurses on the front lines. The piece was donated to the University Hospital Southampton and was renamed "Painting for Saints" as homage to the Premier League football team in the city. 

The arts have been a big part of coping with the coronavirus and continues to play a big role in how our world copes with the pandemic. Maybe orders from leaders won't change the mind of an anti-masker, but maybe art is the language they need.