Banksy’s Nola, also known as Umbrella Girl, is one of his most emotionally charged works. First appearing as a mural in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, it shows a young girl beneath a black umbrella. She reaches out to test for rain, but the downpour falls from inside the umbrella itself, drenching her.

The reversal is central to the piece’s meaning: an object of protection becomes the source of harm. The work critiques the failure of institutions designed to protect society  a pointed reference to the collapsed levee system and the disastrous governmental response to Katrina. Both memorial and political statement, it reflects the betrayal felt by those who relied on safeguards that failed when most needed.

Released as a print in 2008, Nola appeared in a signed edition of 289 “White Rain”, symbolically tied to New Orleans’ age at the time. Due to a release mishap, an additional 63 “Grey Rain” prints were issued, along with extremely rare colour variants in Orange, Yellow, and Multicolour Rain. Only 66 Artist’s Proofs exist, including six unique multicolour versions reserved for VIP collectors.

Today, Nola remains both a haunting emblem of institutional collapse and a poignant reminder of the resilience of those left unprotected.