Elusive street artist Banksy unveiled yet another animal-themed artwork on Friday (9 August) – the fifth to appear this week.
The guerrilla artist confirmed he was behind a new artwork of two pelicans above a fish and chip shop in north-east London via Instagram, as has been the case with previous pieces.
The birds are shown in silhouette, fishing atop Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow, northeast London. One social media commented on Banksy’s Instagram post: “The value of Bonners Fish Bar has just 10X over night!”.
Banksy has posted an image of a new animal-themed artwork each consecutive day this week.
As with the works revealed earlier in the week, the artist did not give any hint as to a deeper meaning, simply posting an image of the work without a caption.
Online, many have speculated about the significance behind this animal series.
Given the recent far-right riots in the UK, one popular theory suggests that Banksy is critiquing the wild and chaotic behavior currently unfolding, drawing a parallel between people’s actions and wild zoo animals. Others interpret it as a commentary on climate change and the impact of urbanisation on wildlife.
The pelicans come after the anonymous Bristol-born street artist unveiled a howling wolf on top of a building in Peckham, south-east London, yesterday (8 August Thursday.) The stencilled silhouette of the wolf was painted onto a satellite dish, cleverly transforming it into a full moon.
However, within a few hours of its debut, the artwork had been removed by two masked individuals who scaled a ladder to retrieve the satellite dish. Photos shared online show a man in a black hoodie, blue tracksuit bottoms, a mask, and gloves, carrying the artwork under his arm as he makes his escape.
Banksy’s animal-themed saga began on Monday 5 August. The artist presented the first work of the animal series near Kew Bridge in southwest London. The piece, created in his signature stencil style, depicts a goat with rocks tumbling below it.
Following the first work, Banksy posted an image of another animal artwork on his Instagram page the next day. This time in Chelsea, the work featured two elephants looking out at each other from blocked-out windows, their trunks almost touching.
On Wednesday, three swinging monkeys appeared across a railway bridge on Brick Lane, East London.
Banksy’s latest pieces of street art come after the Bristol artist drew ire for a stunt at Glastonbury in June, which saw an imitation of migrant boat created by the artist crowd surfing during performances by indie punk band Idles (also from Bristol) and rapper Little Simz.
The then home secretary James Cleverly criticised the stunt for “trivialising” small boats crossings, describing the artistic action as “vile”.
Responding to Cleverly’s comments, the artist said it was the “real boat” he funds – the MV Louise Michel – being detained by Italian authorities, after it had rescued 17 unaccompanied children at sea, that he found “vile and unacceptable”.
The artist, whose identity remains unknown, last painted in the British capital when he sprayed green paint on a wall behind a cut-back tree.
