A goat, two elephants, three monkeys and a wolf.
Four Banksy graffiti art displayed in London this week has left many wondering the meaning behind the mysterious street artist’s latest artwork.
It started on Monday with a mountain goat sitting on a cliff with rocks falling from it, depicted in Banksy’s distinctive stencil style on a wall in Richmond, west London.
This was followed by the appearance of two elephant heads peering out of two shuttered windows on the side of a home in affluent Chelsea, followed by three monkeys which appeared to be hanging from a railway bridge near Brick Lane in east London.
Photo Credit: Reuters
An image of a wolf roaring skyward appeared on a satellite dish atop a heavily graffitied building in Peckham, southeast London, on Thursday. Banksy posted photos of both on his Instagram account.
London’s Metropolitan Police said the satellite dish was found within hours of being reported stolen. Pictures in local media showed it being removed by a man who had covered his face with a mask.
There is a lot of speculation on social media about the meaning of these artworks. This artwork has been created by an artist who has highlighted topics like war and climate change in his previous works.
Some speculated that these might be related to the riots and racist attacks that have swept the country over the past week, while others believe that humanity is sowing the seeds of its own downfall.
“Well done Banksy. I see this as a critique of the wild and chaotic behaviour happening in the UK at the moment. Right wing hooligans lurking,” a user “BarryBrexiter” commented on Banksy’s Instagram post.
Another, “leticia_vega,” wrote: “Humanity is not going to survive… the animals will take over.”
The Bristol-based artist’s last graffiti, also in London, involved green paint sprayed on the side of a building, mimicking the leaves of a real, heavily pruned tree standing a few metres in front of it. Many saw that graffiti as a call to action to preserve nature.
In December Banksy displayed three drones on a stop sign in Peckham. It was stolen shortly after it was installed.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
