Over the last three days, the anonymous street artist Banksy has turned the U.K.‘s capital city into a zoo, unveiling three new animal-themed murals across London.
The third painting was spotted in East London on Wednesday and was later shared to Banksy’s Instagram account and personal website, where the artist commonly verifies his work.
The stencilled graffiti found over Brick Lane depicts three monkeys climbing across elevated train tracks above the popular neighbourhood. Like the two pieces of art before it, the monkeys are silhouetted and painted high above the ground.
Before the monkeys, Banksy first unveiled a painting of a horned goat perched precariously on top of a wall in the London borough Richmond upon Thames.
The mural, which was shared by Banksy on Monday, is facing a security camera angled in the direction of several painted rocks falling below the goat’s standing point.
Nearly 24 hours later, the artist shared an image of two silhouetted elephants reaching for each other’s trunks from boarded windows. The street art was painted on the side of a house in Chelsea; before it was identified as a genuine Banksy, it went temporarily unnoticed by some locals, like the dog-walker included in the photo.
As is the case for much of his work, Banksy did not provide comment or context for any of the animal street artworks. Regardless, fans of the elusive artist have already begun to speculate about Banksy’s intention, with some believing the daily artworks are part of a build-up to a larger mural or announcement.
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Many art lovers have speculated the silhouetted murals are commentary on environmentalism and the loss of wild animal habitat.
“We have forced these gorgeous animals to live in a concrete jungle. We seriously suck. We had one job,” wrote one commenter. “Keep Mother Earth safe and alive.”
Others maintained the murals are about surveillance or an unwillingness to see what is directly in front of you, say for example, the elephants in the room. The assumption stems from the faceless CCTV camera included in the goat artwork and the visible passerby in both the monkey and elephant photos who have either not noticed the murals, or don’t care to stop.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy earned international fame for his often-political street art. Many of the artist’s murals — including the popular “Girl with Balloon” and the recently created tree mural — include commentary about capitalism, war and greed.
In June, the artist provoked ire for a crowd-surfing boat carrying dummies made to look like refugees that was floated above heads at the Glastonbury Festival.
The U.K.’s Home Secretary called Banksy’s inflatable boat “vile and unacceptable,” though the artist wrote he felt that reaction “seemed a bit over the top.”
Banksy said the Glastonbury display was in reference to a real boat, financed by the artist, that has been used to rescue unaccompanied migrant children floating in the Mediterranean.
The Bristol-based Banksy said his boat, named MV Louise Michel, was detained by Italian authorities in July after it was involved in an effort to rescue 37 people, including 17 children.
The MV Louise Michel has since been released, according to the crew’s social media page.
Banksy’s true identity remains a secret — and the subject of prolonged speculation.
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