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Banksy claims new artwork next to broken bike, and takes pop at Government 'reskilling' poster

The graffiti artist has confirmed that a Nottingham mural of a hula-hooping girl is his... and in reference to the broken bike in front of it, says his next job "could be in bicycle repair"...

A mural depicting a hula-hooping girl that appeared outside a Nottingham beauty salon earlier this week has been claimed by Banksy. Taking to Instagram today to confirm the rumours, the world-famous graffiti artist says his next job "could be in bicycle repair", noting the bike with its back wheel missing in front of the artwork. 

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A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on

The artwork, outside Avi Hair & Beauty Salon in Rothesday Avenue, Nottingham, is thought to have gone up on Tuesday. The caption on Bansky's Instagram post above references the widely ridiculed 'Rethink. Reskill. Reboot'  Government poster featuring a ballerina named Fatima, suggesting she could retrain in 'cyber'. The campaign was the subject of countless memes and spoofs online, and was described as "crass" by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who claims it didn't come from his department.  

The battered hybrid bike is a crucial element of the mural behind it, as the girl appears to be using its missing tyre as a hula-hoop. Some have suggested the bike needs to be protected too as part of the artwork; which might need to be done sooner rather than later, as the saddle has already been stolen. 

In an ironic twist, a screen put over the mural to protect it was also covered with graffiti just hours later. 

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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5 comments

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Rome73 | 4 years ago
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How has Bansky managed to remain anonymous for so long? It's amazing really. Rumors have done the rounds that he's Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack. 

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Captain Badger replied to Rome73 | 4 years ago
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It's been difficult, and I've had a few close calls, but so far so good!smiley

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The _Kaner replied to Rome73 | 4 years ago
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Lukas wrote:

How has Bansky managed to remain anonymous for so long? It's amazing really. Rumors have done the rounds that he's Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack. 

 

Also heard it was Neil Buchanan....sad

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Captain Badger replied to The _Kaner | 4 years ago
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The _Kaner wrote:

Also heard it was Neil Buchanan....sad

That was a really tough one, to get that rumour going. Worth it though, got the heat of me for quite a while.😗🤫

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eburtthebike | 4 years ago
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Well, all the bike shops are stacked out with a long wait for repairs.  Not sure how long it takes to convert from dancing to mechanicing though.

Why has she got a collie dog on her head?

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