This hand-finished proof, with a red circular sticker applied to the girl's ear, is a unique variant aside from the editions of NOLA. The work was donated by the artist to the Urban Art Auction in aid of Great Ormond Street Cochlear Implant Unit and CICS, organised by the artist Inkie, in April 2009.
The title 'NOLA' is an abbreviation for New Orleans, Louisiana (LA), the city where Banksy's first version of this subject appeared as a stencilled graffiti work in 2008. The image of a girl being drenched by rain that is falling from inside of her umbrella is in reference to the devastating events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which had been amplified by failure of the flood defences that had been designed to protect the citizens from such a disaster.
Post Lot Text
This lot has been authenticated by Pest Control, and will be issued with the Certificate of Authenticity in due course.