The artist who most inspired Banksy at the beginning of his career is undoubtedly the French street artist Blek le Rat. In the words of the Bristol artist: “Every time I paint something slightly original, I discover that Blek le Rat already did it—just twenty years earlier.”
One of the most recurring elements in Banksy’s imagery is the rat, a figure he borrows from his French colleague. This small animal becomes a symbol of the rebellious artist, operating on the margins, against the established order. The English word “rat” also carries a clever linguistic twist: it is an anagram of “art.” In Banksy’s work, rats are never mere passive observers—they act. They pick locks, soil walls, and perform dramatic gestures while remaining silent. Their stenciled silhouettes appear everywhere in urban spaces.
In his book Wall and Piece, Banksy gives a powerful description: “They live unnoticed, are despised and persecuted. They survive in degraded conditions, in a world that rejects them. Yet they have the power to overturn entire civilizations. If you feel dirty, invisible, and unloved, then rats are your emblem.”
These rodents, in their persistent actions, embody a kind of alter ego for the artist: they engage in symbolic gestures, paint, protest, and carry messages. In the work Get Out While You Can, for example, a rat gazes at the viewer suspiciously, holding a protest sign. Around its neck hangs a pendant with a peace symbol, while the accompanying slogan—translatable as “Escape while you can”—creates a dissonant effect. Its hunched posture and ironic gaze humanize the animal, making it a surprisingly effective emotional vehicle. In this way, Banksy establishes a direct connection between his creature and the viewer, projecting his own ambiguous and irreverent voice onto the rodent.