A pair of vintage Banksy artworks are on show again in Shoreditch.
Banksy's summer run of animal stencils might be over, but another pair of artworks by the notorious street artist were recently revealed in Shoreditch.
These aren't new. In fact, they're among the artist's oldest surviving works. However, they've been hidden away for most of their 20 year history.
The giant knife-and-fork carrying rat and a television thrown through a window were placed on a wall behind the Foundry bar on Old Street way back in 2004. The stencils were on show for about three years before they were covered in board.
Both artworks were briefly uncovered in 2019 during preparatory works for a new hotel development. I snapped this picture of the rat at that time.
The pieces were quickly covered again during construction of the towering drum-shaped Art'otel. That building opened earlier in 2024, and we're delighted to see that the two artworks have been positioned over the main entrance porch — visible to the public 24 hours a day.
The hotel, as befits its name, contains plenty of other contemporary art, including a novelty phone box and several pieces by street artist D*Face.
You can see the works at Art'otel, 1-3 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DT
