Banksy's London Underground artwork scrubbed clean in compliance to anti-graffiti policy

London Underground has lived up to its conventional reputation and scrubbed clean Banksy's latest artwork that warned commuters about the dangers of not wearing a facemask amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

As per reports, Transport for London (TfL) authorities removed the acclaimed street artist’s first artwork since the end of lockdown within hours of his Instagram post wherein Banksy could be seen spray painting on a train in the garb of a maintenance worker. 

Transport for London officials clarified that the works were removed owing to a strict anti-graffiti policy but hoped to persuade Banksy to redo the message for London Underground commuters in a 'suitable location'.

“We’d like to offer Banksy the chance to do a new version of his message for our customers in a suitable location,” the transportation agency said in a statement.

Read: Banksy Unveils New Coronavirus-related Artwork, First-ever Footage Featuring Himself

"If you don't mask - you don't get"

Earlier on Tuesday, Banksy took to Instagram to upload a short video that starts with "London Underground undergoes deep cleaning" written at the bottom as the artist walks through station security and boards a train.  

Disguised in a white boiler suit, masks, gloves and an orange jacket with “stay safe” on the back, the allusive artist was seen painting his iconic stencil rats -- one sneezing, one jumping down with a mask turned parachute and another handing off a bottle of sanitiser -- in different corners of the train before singing off his moniker. The video also captures a confused looking commuter observing Banksy at work.   

The video is accompanied by rock band Chumbawamba's 1997 hit song Tubthumping, with its opening lyrics tweaked in the artwork to match the pervasive mood and announced the artist's return to the streets. Banksy painted "I get lockdown, but I get up again" on the station wall and on the inside of train's doors, coordinatedly captured in the last bit of the video. 

Take a look here:

Read: Banksy Unveils New Artwork Inspired By George Floyd’s Death, Speaks Out On Racism

Banksy's coronavirus artwork

Since the coronavirus pandemic took the world by storm, Banksy has posted about the new normal and it's lived reality a couple of times. In April, Banksy gave his 9.8 million Instagram followers a sneak peek into his work-from-home situation with his trademark stencil rats scampering around his bathroom. 

In May, Banksy donated his 'Game Changer' artwork to an NHS Hospital in a bid to honour health care workers. The monochromatic piece showed a young boy playing with a nurse superhero figurine while discarded figures of batman and spiderman were seen in a bin at the corner of the canvas. The hospital was quick to acknowledge Banky's intimate gesture of gratitude and dubbed the artwork 'Painting for Saints'. As per reports, the artwork was involved in an attempted burglary but was saved for being stolen. 

Read: Banksy Salutes Superhero Healthcare Workers With An Earnest Gift To Southampton Hospital

Read: Banksy Unveils His Latest 'rat-infested' Graffiti As He Works From Bathroom Amid Lockdown