He may be best known for his comic and subversive street art, but Banksy has been working within the constraints of lockdown to produce a more intimate piece paying tribute to National Health Service (NHS) workers in the UK.
The elusive artist has created a piece called Game Changer that has gone on display, nicely framed, in a corridor at a hospital in Southampton, England. The largely monochrome painting, which is one square meter, shows a young boy playing with a superhero nurse toy, while figures of Batman and Spider-Man lay discarded in a bin.
The nurse, wearing a face mask and a white apron featuring a red cross, has her arm raised as if she is flying, with a cape fluttering behind her. Banksy left a note for hospital workers, saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”
After lockdown measures are lifted, the piece will be put on public display. It will then be auctioned to raise money for NHS charities, a spokeswoman for Banksy confirmed.
