Banksy’s Hoola Hoop Girl, which appeared on October 13, 2020, on the wall of a beauty salon at the intersection of Rothesay Avenue and Ilkeston Road in Nottingham, England, stands out as both a hopeful and critical intervention in the dark atmosphere of the pandemic. Hoola Hoop Girl is one of Banksy’s works from 2020 that focuses on the pandemic and societal issues; yet, unlike his other pandemic-themed pieces, this mural conveys a message of hope through innocence and joy, while subtly critiquing consumer culture.

The artwork portrays a young girl hula-hooping with a bicycle tire; right beside her stands a real bicycle, chained to a streetlamp, missing its rear wheel. The missing wheel is repurposed as the hula hoop in the girl’s hands a detail that reflects Banksy’s approach of transforming broken or discarded objects into an artistic context.

In 2020, the world was deeply affected by the intensity of the pandemic; Nottingham was one of the regions in England with the highest Covid-19 case rates at the time. Throughout 2020, Banksy created numerous pieces addressing the pandemic and social injustices: Game Changer paid tribute to healthcare workers, he shared a piece supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, and in the London Underground, he crafted a mural titled If You Don’t Mask, You Don’t Get to promote mask-wearing. However, Hoola Hooping Girl differs from these works by offering a critique through innocence and hope rather than a direct political message.

Beneath the artwork lies a critique of consumer society. The broken and abandoned state of the bicycle can be linked to Nottingham’s past economic decline; the city was shaken by the closure of the historic Raleigh bicycle factory in 2002, which resulted in the loss of nearly 300 jobs. Raleigh’s closure was seen as a consequence of cheap imports from the Far East, highlighting the devastating impact of global consumer culture on local economies. By using the broken bicycle, Banksy may be critiquing this economic decline and the consequences of consumer culture. While the girl hula-hooping with the broken bicycle tire embodies hope and innocence, it also draws attention to the indifference of consumer society and its impact on local communities.

The mural was quickly damaged by vandals, and in 2021, it was removed from the wall and sold to collector John Brandler for a ‘six-figure sum,’ sparking discussions about the public and commercial value of Banksy’s works. The local community expressed disappointment over the mural’s removal; one resident emphasized its significance for the city, saying, ‘Banksy chose Nottingham; this piece should have stayed here.’

Hoola Hoop Girl stands out, both artistically and critically, as one of Banksy’s most balanced works from the pandemic period, blending hope and critique in a harmonious way.