All the pieces have been unveiled, but questions about what Banksy is trying to convey and the meaning behind the works persist.
Less than two weeks ago, on August 5, London woke up to an animal mural with a very distinct style. Even a cursory glance would tell you it wasn’t just an ordinary graffiti—it has street artist Banksy’s signature stencil style written all over it.
It was the mountain goat which first appeared on a wall in west London, Reuters reported. Two elephant heads followed, peering out of two blocked out windows on the side of a house in Chelsea. Three monkeys came next which appeared to be hanging from a railway bridge near east London’s Brick Lane. Then a silhouette of a wolf, howling at the sky, appeared on a satellite dish atop a building in southeast London, on Aug 8.
Fast forward to Aug 13, Banksy has concluded what the BBC calls his “animal trail,” with his ninth animal-themed mural in nine days. The artwork, which is on a shutter outside London Zoo, depicts a gorilla releasing animals from the zoo. It seems to be the missing piece that ties together all the other murals. As in the previous works, Banksy claimed this one on his Instagram account.
All the pieces have been unveiled, but questions about what Banksy is trying to convey and the meaning behind the works persist.
The latest mural was “an absolute shock and surprise to all of us here at London Zoo”, said Karl Penman, commercial operations manager at the zoo, as quoted in an Agence France Presse report. “If it is the full stop, what a great full stop to end on.”
Since the artworks have started popping up across the UK’s capital, social media has been abuzz with speculations. Some say the goat is a metaphor for teetering on the brink of a momentous change—climate change maybe as we are teetering on the edge of no return? Others argued that perhaps the three monkeys represent the “wise monkeys” in the famous Japanese proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
There have also been socio- and geopolitical theories that have surfaced. Some say the series focuses on social division amid recent riots that have left London reeling in shock, to the Israel-Gaza conflict that is now on the brink of being a regional conflict.
James Ryan, CEO of Grove Gallery which sells Banksy originals and prints, told BBC London he thinks the works had “politically charged and motivated messages, so the goat – references to Palestine and Gaza, and then the wolf crying for help – some kind of persecution.” With the unveiling of the final piece, Ryan believes there is a theme of “incarceration; animals being trapped” in the series.
James Peak, presenter of the BBC’s The Banksy Story, said the artist is “very keen on animal welfare” and even helped Greenpeace out with a campaign. He added that Banksy is known to embed environmental themes in some of his works, such as when he wrote cardboard placards and threw them into the ape enclosures of Australian zoos. The signs had messages like, “Please help me I’m the victim of a cruel scientific experiment” and “I’m a celebrity get me out of here.”
Many Londoners, however, choose to not overthink about the possible meanings of the murals. Some just appreciate having works of beauty peppered across their city for everyone to enjoy, especially in the wake of the death of three girls in a stabbing spree and the ensuing violent riots.
Peter McCarthy, who lives in northeast London where the pelican mural is, said it has been “very nice to have it (mural) in this particular week.” Kevin Mazur, a visiting American photographer, said he had been “running around photographing all” the artworks, while retiree Don Gould who lives around the corner from the goat mural in southwest London said it’s a “very good excuse for a stroll on the green.”
Sadly, some of the artworks have already been removed, stolen, or defaced. London’s Metropolitan Police said the satellite dish with the wolf silhouette had been reported stolen by two masked men with a ladder mere hours after being unveiled. Meanwhile, the rhino mural was spray painted with a tag by a man on the same day it was revealed on Aug 12, and even the lovely elephants were not spared, having been soon defaced with stripes.
The cat on a billboard was removed by contractors much to the dismay and amid the loud boos of onlookers, and a police box painted with piranhas was removed by local authorities to ensure it was “properly protected.” A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said: “We have moved the artwork to Guildhall Yard to ensure it is properly protected and open for the public to view safely. A permanent home for the piece will be decided in due course.”
Many locals lament these actions and wish people would just leave Banksy’s works alone so that other people could enjoy them as well.
Despite being one of the world’s most famous artists with a huge and devoted following, Banksy’s identity remains, officially at least, unknown.
John Brandler, director of Brandler Art Galleries, believes it is convenient for Banksy to remain anonymous “so he can walk down the street” without being recognised. He told the BBC that the Banksy brand would survive even if his identity was revealed.
“To the art world it doesn’t matter any more. The brand is so big now. His people have made the brand Banksy such an incredible thing, it wouldn’t make any difference now [if he was unmasked].”
