When Banksy drops new works, the (art) world goes into a frenzy—how did he get up there (that building is so high) and will they be ripped from their settings by those hoping to make a quick buck? His latest works are no exception, and have prompted mass head scratching… why has the street japester daubed a goat and two elephants on walls in London? The goat, seen teetering on a ledge in view of a CCTV camera, is on a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond, while the elephants poke their heads out of two blocked up windows on the side of a house in Chelsea.
Banksy posted both works on Instagram without any explanation, sparking a wave of theories about his motives. A number of commentators think the beast depictions reflect the parlous state of the UK, riven by protests and riots led by the far-right (is GB—or the goat—about to topple over?). The isolated goat, left to struggle, could also refer to the “scapegoating” of immigrants. The idea that both works reference the environmental crisis— the biggest elephant in the room—also pops up (the Nubian Ibex goat species is under threat).
Hyperallergic sees a link to the Middle East crisis, pointing out that “the goat has appeared as a pro-Palestine symbol in recent protests against Israel’s war on Gaza”. One commentator, however, candidly pointed out that “it could be as simple as Banksy thought a goat would look cool up there” (just saying).
UPDATE 7 AUGUST: Banksy's street animal series continues—the artist has posted an image of three monkeys swinging from a bridge in Brick Lane, east London. We're on tenterhooks for the next animal installment....
UPDATE 8 AUGUST: Already it seems the wait is over. Today Banksy shared an image of a howling wolf silhouetted against against the moon—otherwise known as a satellite dish—to his Instagram feed. "That's why my TV signal was messed up last night," wrote one commenter.
UPDATE 8 AUGUST: Well, that was short lived. According to The Telegraph, Banksy's latest animal offering was stolen from its south London location within an hour of its reveal.
Elephants in Chelsea.
courtesy: Banksy Instagram