Tadas Zaicikas (Lithuanian, b. 1974) "Peace Over Banksy Peace" acrylic and acrylic-based spray paints on canvas, 2022. Signed by the artist on the lower left. A remarkable painting by Tadas Zaicikas (also known as TedyZet) whose works have been meteorically rising in value (see Saatchi Art listings). Zaicikas has rendered an image of Banksy's "CND Soldiers" anti-war statement in black with a dripping blood-red motif superimposed over the black peace sign that is above the soldiers. In the background, Zaicikas has painted the word "PEACE" repeatedly in shades of red and orange over the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow. Zaicikas' powerful homage to Banksy employs the Bristol-based artist's international symbol of piece to make a political statement about the Ukraine conflict with his remarkable fusion of painterly Neo-Expressionism and bold street art. Size: 15.7" L x 11.75" W (39.9 cm x 29.8 cm) Size: 18" L x 24" W (45.7 cm x 61 cm)
Recently, a rare edition of Banksy's anti-war print entitled "CND Soldiers" raised $106,500 for Ukraine's largest children's hospital. In the following passage, BANKSY EXPLAINED describes the original intent of Banksy's composition as well as its extrapolated meaning as a universal symbol of peace, "CND Soldiers depicts two soldiers, crouching on the ground and scouting the landscape around them. One is holding a machine gun, the other a paintbrush with which he is in the process of painting a red peace sign. This sign originally symbolized the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) of 1957 and is now widely known as an international symbol of peace. The satirical juxtaposition of armed soldiers alongside the iconic peace sign questions the role and impact of military in keeping the peace. The peace sign, painted in dripping red evokes the bloodshed of war. The soldiers, who act on behalf of the government, are now represented as activists and vandals, graffitiing the wall in protest."
Tadas Zaicikas was born in Lithuania but has lived and worked in Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. He received his Master's degree from KTU in Lithuania in 1996 and has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and South Korea. This award-winning artist recently received Contemporary Art Curator Magazine's Power of Creativity Art Prize (2021) and has been the subject of many favorable reviews such as Marie Agnes Moller's "Tadas Zaicikas- Declarations of Love!" in ART & Design, March-April-May 2022.
This painting is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity that is signed and dated by Tadas Zaicikas.
Provenance: private Ontario, Canada collection, acquired from Estate sale and gifted from sister
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#172371
Condition
Excellent. Signed by the artist on the lower left. Signed, titled, and dated on the verso as well.