In 2008, during a stay in New Orleans, Banksy created a work with strong emotional impact. The mural emerged in the context of the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina and serves as an explicit critique of the local authorities’ inefficiency in handling the emergency.
Once again, the protagonist is a young girl. She wears a dark dress with short sleeves and a white collar. She holds an umbrella over her head, yet paradoxically the rain seems to come from inside the umbrella. Looking around, she discovers that outside this apparent protection, the sun is shining. Her face conveys a mixture of astonishment and vulnerability.
Hurricane Katrina had a devastating impact on the affected populations. Despite a federal fund of $20 million being allocated, the mayor of New Orleans was unprepared. When the disaster struck, it took two days for the authorities to order an evacuation. The Superdome stadium was quickly converted into a shelter, hosting around thirty thousand people who had to survive under extreme conditions for a week. Even the Bush administration faced heavy criticism: the President was on vacation, and the federal response was judged slow and inadequate. To protect his public image, George W. Bush shifted responsibility onto local governments.
Through this work, Banksy gives voice to the pain and abandonment experienced by the inhabitants of Louisiana and Mississippi, transforming art into a form of social protest.
