BANKSY (British, 1974)
V.I.P. MARTINI RAT - 2005
Aerosol on Canvas
8 by 10 inches
V.I.P. Rat is a sardonic sign created by Banksy using red and black aerosol for the 2005 Glastonbury Music Festival. Located on a chain link fence partitioning two areas, this work depicts a rat pawing a martini, both enclosed in a red circle above the words V.I.P. AREA. Banksy’s presence was well documented at the Glastonbury festival, where he created a number of original works that were displayed throughout the grounds. The stencil of the Rat has been reused by Banksy countless times throughout England, satirizing the pseudo elite crowd that he compares to the lowest, filthiest animal in society: the rat.