Banksy has revealed a flurry of new projects in recent months. The street artist has made headlines for painting a mural of a hula-hooping girl in Nottingham, England, funding a rescue boat intended to carry refugees across the Mediterranean Sea, weighing in on systemic racism, and covering a bathroom with his signature rat stencils. On the auction front, the artist’s painting Show Me the Monet (2005) sold for a whopping $9.8 million at Sotheby’s this fall.
Now, the artist has painted a new piece on the exterior of a house in Bristol, England. The mural, titled Aachoo!! and situated on the corner of an inclined street, shows a woman expelling a violent sneeze, with her dentures flying out of her mouth in the process. She’s also flung her purse and walking cane amid the sneezing episode. Banksy claimed credit for the artwork in an Instagram post on Thursday.
According to a report by the BBC, the artwork is already generating interest in the city. Jason Bartlett, a Bristol resident, told the outlet, “I heard it on the news and I thought I’ve got to go and take a look. I’ve always been a big fan of his,” adding, “It’s going to get interesting for whoever owns the house I suppose.”
As Fred Loosemore, who previously lived in the house with the new artwork, told the BBC, the new mural seems to reference the health risks associated with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “The artwork is so nice. It’s so relevant, isn’t it?”