Banksy, the famous British street artist whose identity remains in the shadows, confirmed on his social networks that he is the author of three new graffiti located in different neighborhoods of London, the capital of England. The protagonists of his new work of art are animals.
The graffiti artist’s modus operandi is always the same: he uploads an image to his virtual accounts to confirm that he is the author of a work, and leaves the rest to the imagination of his more than twelve million followers, who speculate about his message and his next action.
On Monday, Bansky shared on his Instagram a photo of a goat on top of a ledge with several rocks falling off it, while a surveillance camera is pointing towards it. The graffiti is located in the Richmond neighborhood, southwest of the British capital.
A goat about to fall off a ledge is the star of Bansky’s new series of graffiti in London. (Image: Instagram @bansky)
The following day, he announced the completion of his second work: the series of animals continued with two elephants poking their heads out and looking at each other through two boarded-up windows in a building in London’s Chelsea.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, he shared a new image, this time of drawings of three monkeys hanging in a row, located on the bridge of the Shoreditch High Street subway station, and above a vintage store and a cafe, also in London.
Two elephants greeting each other through boarded-up windows are part of Bansky’s new artwork. (Image: Instagram @bansky)
The artist’s followers began to debate in the comments of the posts about the possible meanings of the artwork, and different interpretations came to light.
One of the ideas that generated the most consensus was that Monday’s painting, the goat, was meant to represent a criticism of the treatment of immigration, or that the human race is on the verge of extinction. Another theory was that it pointed to the lack of privacy in public spaces.
Drawings of three monkeys hanging from a bridge are part of Bansky’s new work. (Image: Instagram @bansky)
Regarding the second painting, the one with the elephants, a comment with over 200 likes said: “To me, this represents the individualized family, the distanced and estranged connection as a social rule, opposing the very nature of elephants as highly familial and connected creatures.” It is also thought to be inspired by the metaphorical expression of the “elephant in the room,” which refers to an obvious truth that is ignored or goes unnoticed.
Finally, regarding the third and last work so far, it was decided that it could represent the three wise Japanese monkeys and their famous proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, although on this occasion they do not appear covering their eyes, ears or mouth.
The urban artist’s penultimate intervention in London. (Image: Instagram @bansky)
Banksy has not done any graffiti in London since last March, when he sprayed green paint on a wall behind a pruned tree, creating the optical illusion of foliage. He also placed a stencil of a person holding a spray can next to it.
The artist of unknown identity is famous for raising awareness of social, political and environmental issues through his street art in various parts of the world and his works are highly sought after, reaching tens of millions of euros at auctions.
