Banksy’s Return: Animal Murals Spark Speculation Across London
After a few months of silence, Banksy is back, spreading animal murals all over London. In just three days, the mysterious British street artist has unveiled a series of new stencil pieces, with his latest works showing a mountain goat perched high on a building wall, two elephants greeting each other through windows, and three monkeys swinging along an overpass on Brick Lane in South London. The murals were posted on Banksy’s official Instagram account without any explanation, description, or caption, confirming their authenticity. Fans are buzzing on the social media platform, speculating about the meaning behind the works and hoping for another one, perhaps featuring four animals, in the coming days.
a mountain goat perched high on a building wall | all images courtesy of Banksy
Interpreting the symbolism behind the Goat Mural
It’s no surprise that the British street artist has remained silent about the meaning behind his works. Banksy rarely captions his posts, offering little to no explanation when unveiling new pieces. Followers on Instagram have speculated about the recently revealed murals, proposing a range of interpretations. For the first goat stencil, some believe the artwork relates to Palestine, as the mountain gazelle is the national animal of that region. Others interpret the murals as a commentary on the fragile state of British society, while some suggest they might symbolize a scapegoat.
Certain commenters have even found specific meaning in the location of the artwork. One noted, ‘The building the art is on is Caxton Name Plate Co Ltd, named after William Caxton, the founder of the first British printing press. It’s in huge letters just left of the art! Perhaps the mountain goat is precariously caught between the written press and social media, where the true nuanced story is hard to decipher?’ Meanwhile, others are less inclined to seek deeper meaning, with one Instagram user remarking, ‘Lots of comments questioning the meaning behind this… it could be as simple as Banksy thought a goat would look cool up there!’
A Modern Take on Creation of Adam?
Banksy’s second animal mural depicts the silhouettes of two elephants on the side of a building, their trunks reaching toward each other but not quite touching. Commenters have interpreted this as a modern twist on Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, or as a reference to ‘the elephant in the room’. One commenter explains, ‘It’s an allusion to both the Creation of Adam and the saying ‘the elephant in the room,’ but with two elephants. In Creation of Adam, the tension lies in the fact that Adam is about to touch God’s finger, but the lack of contact suggests that humans never truly connect with the divine. Similarly, the nearly touching trunks of the elephants represent the tension of almost addressing a significant issue but never fully confronting it. The presence of two elephants in separate spaces about to acknowledge each other reflects the idea of two coexisting, obvious problems that might come into awareness of each other but may never fully converge.’
The third piece by Banksy features three monkeys swinging on the bridge of an East London rail station. This isn’t the first time Banksy has used monkeys in his work; they often serve as symbols for human behavior. Commenters have speculated that this mural, along with the rest of the animal-themed series, might be a nod to the concept of Concrete Jungle. ‘See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. Just monkeys or is it a metaphor?’ one follower questions. Meanwhile, others are trying to connect the three pieces, suggesting interpretations such as ‘one animal, isolated and helpless; two animals, looking out for each other; three animals, overcoming difficulties together.’
project info;
name: Animal Murals
artist: Banksy | @banksy
myrto katsikopoulou I designboom
aug 08, 2024
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