Since August 5th, Banksy, the world’s most famous street artist, has been capturing attention on the streets of London. Every day, a new animal appears in a different neighborhood, sparking curiosity among passersby. On Tuesday, August 13th, a gorilla freeing the animals from the London Zoo added to this series, already featuring eight other animals. The previous day, a rhinoceros “climbing” on a car appeared on a city wall.
For nearly a week, the media have been eagerly following this new adventure of the British artist, who has set out to decorate the walls of the capital daily with a playful bestiary.
It all began on August 5th with a goat painted on a London wall, quickly followed by silhouettes of elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat, and even piranhas on a police box, as described by the British newspaper.
Unfortunately, two pieces have already disappeared. Banksy shared his new creations daily on his social media, located in various London neighborhoods, fueling the curiosity of passersby and various speculations about their meaning and whether they have a political dimension or not. Banksy is indeed known for his commitments, notably in favor of migrants, as highlighted by The Observer.
However, “the artist’s goal is simple: his latest series was designed to lift people’s spirits during a time marked by grim news, where it’s often hard to find bright spots in the prevailing darkness,” possibly alluding to the xenophobic riots that have shaken the country.
The Telegraph informs us that two of the drawings have already been removed from the walls where they were created. A stretching cat was taken down by men claiming to be employed by a company to protect the panel it was painted on, and a howling wolf was also reportedly stolen.
