What do the four new Banksy pieces mean? We look at the clues

A goat precariously balancing on a pillar with rocks falling below it. Two elephants poking their heads out of blocked windows. Three monkeys swinging along on a bridge. Now a lone wolf howling at the sky.

These are the four Banksy works that have so far appeared in London just this week and more could appear.

But what is the reason behind Banksy’s latest spurt of creative talent across different parts of the capital?

Paul Gough is an expert on Banksy and is a professor and vice chancellor at Arts University Bournemouth.

He revealed to Metro.co.uk that the mysterious artist could be working towards something significant.

‘Banksy is working towards a grand reveal or a big piece in the coming days,’ Paul said.

‘What’s different this time is that Banksy usually leaves it a bit of time, keeps people guessing whether a piece of work is authentically his.

‘This time he is confirming it is his work straightaway, something we have not ever seen before.

‘The question I think is how long can he sustain this both on a creative level and on a level which keeps his audience interested.’

Paul is a regular commentator on Banksy and a TikTok video in 2022 went viral with two million views that claimed he was the elusive artist.

While Banksy hosted a month’s long residency in New York City in 2013 in which he produced one street art piece in a different part of the city each day in October, this was advertised beforehand.

The difference with these pieces in London this week is they are being announced straightaway by the artist.

The first work that appeared on Monday shows a mountain goat precariously balancing on a pillar as rocks fall below it.

The second shows two elephants poking their heads out of blocked out windows and the third shows three monkeys swinging along a bridge.

Now a lone wolf has appeared in Peckham, south east London.

Paul said: ‘A pattern is emerging underneath all this. Banksy certainly has used animals in his work in the past but the difference is these have often been creatures like rats or chimps.

‘The animals used so far seem rather benign, quite innocent to the world bar the wolf, certainly a change from his previous work.’

Paul said he believes Banksy has been inspired to create this latest work because of the state of the world right now.

He said: ‘Although there is so much going on, it is hard to pinpoint what he is specifically referring to at the moment.

‘This is why I think he is working towards a bigger, almost sting in the tail reveal perhaps, which will aide our understanding of the world around us right now.’

Banksy has been known to create other art series and campaigns in August in the UK in the past.

One of the most famous in August 2021 was his Spraycation series across areas on the east coast of England.

But it took Banksy a while to officially verify these ten pieces of work across towns including Cromer, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Oulton Broad.

‘Because the mystery has been taken out of the different works this time around, I believe this is evidence he is working towards something bigger,’ Paul said.

‘I don’t think the locations are necessarily too important but they do all seem high up or in difficult to reach places.

‘One things is certain, Banksy works by his own rules and we are all dancing to his tune.’

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