Woman in a leotard doing a handstand, Borodyanka

Painted on the broken wall of a bombed building in Borodyanka, Ukraine, this piece shows a female gymnast balancing in a graceful handstand. Banksy, the famously anonymous British street artist, created it in late 2022 after Russian forces had pulled out of the town. The choice of location is no accident. The crumbling concrete and rubble around the figure are not part of the artwork itself but the real wreckage of war, which Banksy used as his canvas.

There is something deeply moving about a delicate dancer holding her balance amid such destruction. The gymnast seems to turn a scene of ruin into one of resilience, suggesting that beauty and strength can rise even from the worst circumstances. Banksy works in his signature stencil style, using crisp black-and-white shapes that stand out sharply against the gray, damaged wall.

This was one of several murals Banksy left across Ukraine during that period, each one quietly responding to the suffering he saw. Rather than shouting in protest, he lets a single small figure carry the message, reminding everyone who passes by that the human spirit can keep its poise even when everything around it has fallen apart.