At Large  April 16, 2020  Chandra Noyes

Banksy Shares his Version of Working from Home

banksy.co.uk

What does the world’s most famous graffiti artist do when he can’t hit the streets? He works from home, just like the rest of us.

In a new work of art shared on the artist’s website and Instagram account, Banksy shows what he has been up to while quarantined. Captioned "My wife hates it when I work from home.", the results are sure to give you a laugh in a time when we could all use one.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on

The photographs show a bathroom overrun with rats—a nightmare at any time but especially when we’re potentially stuck at home with them. In typical naughty Banksy fashion, these rats run amok, nearly knocking the mirror off the wall, creating a mess with the toothpaste, and engaging in other antics. Meanwhile, in the mirror’s reflection, one rat seems to tally the days stuck indoors on the bathroom’s back wall. While some of us may be going stir-crazy, hopefully, we haven’t resorted to trashing the place yet, and neither have our quarantine-mates.

Banksy rat as paparazzi mural
wikimedia commons LoopZilla
Banksy mural of a rat with text reading "if graffiti changed anything it would be illegal"
wikimedia commons N19±
Banksy rat graffiti with small rat dressed as paparazzi
wikimedia commons Szater
Banksy rat graffiti
wikimedia commons Bahniuk
banksy rat graffiti, small rat dressed in hat and chain with boombox
flickr/Tim Fuller
banksy rat mural in los angleles with text "I'm out of bed and dressed -- what more do you want?"
wikimedia commons

Rats are recurring characters in Banksy’s works, the creatures embodying the artist’s trickster approach to art and social commentary. Often dressed in dapper outfits or uniforms, rats have played a number of roles in his graffiti works. Sometimes bearing tongue-in-cheek messages and other times just hanging out on the street corner, these common Banksy characters are now occupants of the artist's bathroom, where they are up to no good, though they certainly seem to be having a good time.

About the Author

Chandra Noyes

Chandra Noyes is the former Managing Editor for Art & Object.

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