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Banksy went to the Gaza Strip to paint new artwork

Banksy went to the Gaza Strip to paint new artwork

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The two-minute video is a darkly satirical travel ad

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The man, woman, or collective known as Banksy released a video this week showcasing new artwork created in the Gaza Strip, and, understandably, it's pretty dark. As The Daily Dot notes, the two-minute clip plays like a satirical travel ad, portraying war-torn Gaza as a kind of aspirational vacation spot. Titled "Make this the year YOU discover a new destination,' the video follows Banksy — or a man presumed to be Banksy — as he enters the Strip and paints a series of images on the rubble inside.

It's a very dark satire

The video begins with "Banksy" entering Gaza via a "network of illegal tunnels" (the caption says it's "well away from the tourist track"). It juxtaposes images of Palestinian children playing with images of armed Israeli soldiers, and pans slowly over the destruction in Gaza before moving to a shot of the artist at work.

Three new pieces of art appear in the video: a kneeling man in apparent distress painted on an abandoned door, an Israeli guard tower reimagined as amusement park swings, and a giant white kitten playing with a ball of string.

Banksy's identity has yet to be confirmed. Some sources say Banksy is most likely a woman with a background in the art world. Canadian artist Chris Healey has maintained since 2010 that Banksy is a team of seven people led by a woman.

If you're wondering about the meaning behind the white cat, the Banksy website explains, "A local man came up and said, 'Please — what does this mean?' I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website — but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens."