“Banksy Skull n’ Crossbones Rat” by Warholian is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Banksy’s “Haight Street Rat” reappeared in its original location on the morning of July 5th, seven years after the original piece’s removal. Many thought this to be the famously anonymous graffiti artist himself redoing the now-iconic piece, but new photos have revealed this to be the work of artistic imitators in the area.
Banksy Rat Reappears Above Upper Haight's The Red Victorian https://t.co/uhKVxFvOxy by Camden Avery pic.twitter.com/SirOMug88k
— Hoodline (@Hoodline) July 5, 2017
Independence Day festivities left Haight Street empty on the night of July 4th, when the artists chose to honor Banksy by returning the “Haight Street Rat” to the same wall that it had been painted on in 2010. The original piece was removed and “preserved for gallery displays.”
A local resident identified by NBC Bay Area as “Geoff G.” contacted Hoodline about the copycat artists when he saw them on the building at around 10:30 pm on July 4th. The witness took pictures of the artists projecting a picture of the original piece onto the building to replicate it as closely as possible.
Hoodline Tipline: 'Haight Street Rat' Recreators Caught In The Act https://t.co/Uhr3u1YucN by @YourProtagonist pic.twitter.com/u6OYyIZi8n
— Hoodline (@Hoodline) July 6, 2017
No comment has been made yet on whether the new “Haight Street Rat” will be removed or left alone.