Cologne: banana sprayer with Putin protest - giant motif on Aachener Straße

Created: 04/25/2022, 10:54 am

By: Mick Oberbusch

Banana sprayer Thomas Baumgärtel expressed criticism of Putin and Ukraine criticism in his own way (Montage).

© Thomas Baumgärtel & Future Image/Imago

Cologne News: Banana sprayer Thomas Baumgärtel has unveiled a huge work of art on Aachener Strasse in protest against Putin and the Ukraine war.

Cologne – The war in Ukraine also occupies the people of Cologne.

Many Cologne residents want to help with monetary and material donations, others offer refugees from the Ukraine a bed.

A tent city has now been set up at Cologne's Südstadion where people fleeing can find shelter - in short: a number of Cologne residents want to help as much as they can and send a signal for peace.

War Ukraine: Banana sprayer Thomas Baumgärtel with Putin protest action

Thomas Baumgärtel - also known under the pseudonym "banana sprayer" - also has this in mind: As 24RHEIN reports, Thomas Baumgärtel therefore unveiled a very special work of art on Sunday on Aachener Straße (house numbers 201 to 209): his motif "Put in Prison".

On it you can see: Russian President Vladimir Putin in prison outfit, with the words "Put in Prison" on the chest and a "banana hat" on his head.

The motif on the high-rise building behind the Aral petrol station on Aachener Strasse is ten by six meters in size.

Thomas Baumgärtel - The banana sprayer from Cologne

Thomas Baumgärtel is a visual artist who was born in Rheinberg in 1960 and is also known under the pseudonym "banana sprayer".

The Cologne-based artist studied free art and psychology.

In 1986 he began decorating the world's most interesting galleries and art venues with spray bananas. Among other things, he was responsible for a banana spray project on Cologne Cathedral in 2012.

However, Baumgärtel also likes to send political signals with its spray campaigns – as is the case now with the work of art by Vladimir Putin on Aachener Strasse in Cologne.

Artwork with Putin as a convict in Cologne

"The owner, Ralph Wittkamp and his brother Jörg from the property association Wittkamp GbR made the area available to me and financed the banner.

The company Gerken GmbH Cologne kindly provided the lift truck," explains Thomas Baumgärtel, who also reports that he and his family privately took in a Ukrainian family five weeks ago.