A Banksy mural of a gorilla has appeared on the entrance shutters of London Zoo, the ninth animal artwork by the street artist to have popped up around the British capital since last week. The gorilla is depicted liberating a sea lion and birds, in a nod to an origin story behind Banksy’s week-long spree. The artist posted the artwork on Instagram earlier this morning.
The works, informally known as the artist’s “London zoo” series, first appeared last Monday when a mural of a mountain goat was revealed in West London and confirmed by Banksy’s Instagram. Since then, the elusive artist has shared daily Instagram posts of their animal works across the city.
This past weekend, several new pieces by Banksy were revealed. On Saturday, a big cat was briefly seen on an Edgware Road billboard in North London before being taken down by the property owners. Then, on Sunday, a glass police box was transformed to resemble a tank of piranhas in central London. Yesterday, a rhinoceros in Charlton, southeast London, and was marred by graffiti soon after its discovery.
Other works from the series have sprawled across London. On Tuesday, two elephants were revealed on a pair of blocked-out windows in Chelsea. On Wednesday, a trio of monkeys were spotted hanging off an overpass on Brick Lane in East London. On Thursday, a wolf howling at the moon was found on a satellite dish in Peckham but was stolen the same day. The series continued on Friday with a depiction of two pelicans on the facade of Bonners Fish Bar in northeast London.
Speculation about the meanings behind these works has been rampant, with interpretations ranging from commentary on political instability to environmental messages. Many of these hypotheses are driven by the artist’s penchant for incorporating animals, typically laden with satirical and political undertones, into their works. For instance, the artist is known for his depiction of rats across London, now interpreted as a commentary on urban decay.
That said, Banksy’s team has stated to The Guardian that the artworks do not carry a specific message, suggesting that they might simply be whimsical interventions in the urban landscape.The newspaper “understood” that the artist’s “hope” is that “the uplifting works cheer people with a moment of unexpected amusement, as well as to gently underline the human capacity for creative play, rather than for destruction and negativity.”
Artsy reached out to London Zoo for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
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