Banksy's animal art: method to the mystery?
Elusive artist's daily series in London sparks joy – and widespread speculation about its meaning
Banksy unveiled his ninth animal artwork in as many days this morning, the latest in a series that has delighted Londoners.
The elusive street artist confirmed that the mural of a gorilla, seal and birds on a London Zoo shutter was his work in an Instagram post at 9:30am, after speculation by the zoo earlier. It's a departure from the last eight days, when he has posted a picture of an animal artwork around the capital at 1pm each day, with no captions or location details.
Many of Banksy's previous artworks have been "analysed for their political statements", said the London Evening Standard. The anonymous artist recently made headlines for a controversial installation of an inflatable boat filled with migrant dummies, used to crowdsurf during Glastonbury. Naturally, the whimsical animal series has "sparked debate online about a possible deeper meaning".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An animal a day
Banksy's latest "graffiti campaign" began last Monday, when an ibex goat painted in his "signature stencil-style silhouette" appeared perching on a pillar near Kew Bridge in Richmond, said Sky News. This was followed on Tuesday by two elephant silhouettes near Chelsea, monkeys swinging over Brick Lane on Wednesday, and a wolf howling on a satellite dish on a Peckham roof on Thursday. Less than an hour after the wolf was unveiled, the satellite dish was stolen. Banksy's spokesperson said they had "no knowledge as to the dish's current whereabouts".
Then came a pelican stooping to scoop up fish on the sign of a fish and chip shop in Walthamstow, east London. "We're over the moon," posted Bonner's Fish Bar on its Facebook page. The sixth piece, a cat stretching out on an advertising billboard, was unveiled on Saturday in Cricklewood – but removed hours later. Crowds booed at the three men dismantling the artwork, who said they had been "hired" by a "contracting company" to take down the billboard for safety reasons.
In a "departure" from his usual style, Banksy then painted the windows of a City of London Police box with swimming piranhas on Sunday, turning the box into a tank. It was moved on Monday from near the Old Bailey to a "safe location". "A permanent home for the piece will be decided in due course," said a City of London Corporation spokesperson.
Monday morning brought a "cheeky" mural of a rhinoceros "mounting" a car parked on Westmoor Street in Charlton, southeast London. The artwork was defaced hours later by a man wearing a balaclava, and the car has now been removed.
But fans believed the series would finish on Sunday, said Sky's culture reporter Gemma Peplow. The question now is, "how long will the anonymous artist continue?"
Deeper meaning or silly season?
Each artwork shows animals interacting with their environment, but the latest work may be the "biggest clue yet" as to the meaning of the campaign, said Metro. The gorilla is painted in a way that suggests it is lifting the shutter to free the birds and a seal "from captivity". Previous Banksy pieces have featured "similar themes of confinement and escape".
But such theorising has been "way too involved", said The Observer's arts correspondent Vanessa Thorpe. The purpose of the series is simple: to "cheer up the public" after weeks of "bleak" headlines.
The artwork is reminiscent of his series during the Covid-19 pandemic, known as the Great British Spraycation, which featured a seagull hovering over oversized chips in a skip, and a rat relaxing in a deckchair. Banksy hopes the animals will provide "a moment of unexpected amusement", while highlighting the "human capacity for creative play, rather than for destruction and negativity".
The series is intended to inject some fun and lightheartedness into summer, confirmed Pest Control Office, Banksy's support organisation.
And it seems to be doing just that, said staff at London Zoo. The latest London artworks have "brought so much joy and cheer" to the city, Rebecca Blanchard, media manager at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), told the PA news agency. The gorilla mural is already "sparking a lot of smiles".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.
-
DOJ charges 2 in white nationalist 'Terrorgram' plot
Feds say Dallas Humber and Matthew Allison were plotting assassinations through a terrorist network on Telegram
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dozens dead in Vietnam after 'worst typhoon' in 30 years
At least 58 people are dead and hundreds are missing after Typhoon Yagi made landfall
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump ups threatening rhetoric before debate
Tonight marks the first presidential debate between Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Hollyoaks time jump and the future of British soaps
In the Spotlight Loss of nearly a third of cast and crew on Channel 4 show shows how beleaguered TV industry needs to 'reinvent' itself
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A popular new video game is at the center of China's censorship dispute
In the Spotlight 'Black Myth: Wukong' has more than a million players, but some are criticizing China's oversight of the game
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why is the author Colleen Hoover so controversial?
In the Spotlight Both the works and rampant popularity of the 'It Ends With Us' author are regularly questioned
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Battersea Power Station: trip to the top
The Week Recommends Head high for a bird's-eye view of the award-winning redevelopment of this landmark building – and views over London
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
6 bustling outdoor markets ripe for exploration
The Week Recommends These lively markets offer shopping with a side of culture
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
When actors become brands, fans become disillusioned
In the Spotlight What happens when the side hustles outshine the performances?
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Edinburgh Art Festival 2024: an 'exceptionally rich and varied' show
The Week Recommends This year's event is the biggest yet, showcasing the works of over 200 artists
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The couples who run their marriage like a business
In the Spotlight Using business principles in the home touted as a potential solution to gender disparity in domestic labour
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published