Activist Who Tore Down Banksy Mural Says Attempt Was For Charity
Over a week ago, a gang of thieves attempted to steal one of a series of seven murals Banksy left around Ukraine, depicting a woman with curlers in her hair, clad in a bathrobe and gas mask while holding onto a fire extinguisher.
Fortunately, the Kyiv police arrived just in the nick of time to apprehend the suspects and prevent the artwork from being hauled away. Eight culprits, who had already cut the work from its original building, were taken into custody.
Now, there appears to be a twist to the story, with one of the detained thieves alleging he wasn’t planning on stealing the piece for personal gain, but rather, is an activist that wanted to auction off the work to raise funds for the Ukrainian Army.
The man, named Serhiy Dovhyi, told the New York Times the act was intended as a performance piece, with the removal having been filmed and the footage uploaded online following the incident.
Arguing that street art, in contrast to the fine paintings hanging in museums and galleries, “doesn’t belong to anyone,” the activist explained that he felt the military’s need for resources justified the plot.
He said he wanted to “capitalize” on Banksy’s famed as much as possible, noting that one dealer had suggested the mural could fetch up to US$1 million, and planned on donating all the money to “humanitarian and military purposes.”
In addition, Dovhyi claimed that the partially destroyed building was on its way to being demolished, and that by removing the artwork from its original location, he could’ve potentially saved it.
Artnet News noted that the Kyiv police previously stated all of Banksy’s artworks in the country are under police protection, as they represent the nation’s “struggle against the enemy.”
Police Chief Andriy Nebytov said the murals showed the world’s “support and solidarity” with Ukraine, and that the force would “do everything to preserve the works of street art as a symbol” of the country’s “future victory.”
Banksy himself has been busy aiding the people of Ukraine, having created 50 art screen prints to raise funds for the Legacy of War Foundation, an international charity aimed at assisting civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.
[via Artnet News and New York Times, cover image via Banksy]
