Banksy Confirms More London Animals—And Their Meaning

There is seemingly no end in sight for the Banksy animals appearing across London. The anonymous street artist has revealed a new animal mural in the British capital every day for the past eight days, starting with a spray-painted goat on Monday, August 5. Speculation surrounding this cryptic street art series continues to run rampant.

Today, Banksy revealed his eighth London animal artwork: a rhinoceros painted on the side of a building that looks to be climbing on top of a parked car. On Sunday, Banksy also claimed responsibility for a school of piranhas that appeared on a police sentry box on Ludgate Hill in the City of London. In contrast to the other Banksy animals’ silhouetted stenciled designs, the swimming fish are colorful and highly detailed. City police officers placed barriers around the police box shortly after Banksy unveiled it. A City of London Corporation spokesperson said it was considering ways to “preserve” the artwork.

London’s newest Banksy animals follow a precarious mountain goat, an affectionate pair of elephants, three swinging monkeys, a howling wolf, two fish-eating pelicans, and a stretching cat. The eight animal murals have appeared one by one in various locations across the British capital. Whether Banksy plans to reveal even more is unclear.

Did Banksy Finally Reveal the Animals’ Meaning?

As is characteristic of the street artist, Banksy claimed authorship of all eight London animal murals on Instagram. However, he offered no context or explanation in his posts. Because Banksy is notorious for his social and political commentary, online speculation abounded as to the deeper meaning of the London animals. A representative of Banksy finally told the BBC that the artist had “no comment on the theme” of the animals.

The Guardian offered a bit more clarity, reporting its “understanding” that “the artist’s vision is simple: the latest street art has been designed to cheer up the public during a period when the news headlines have been bleak, and light has often been harder to spot than shade.” The Guardian also wrote that “recent theorizing about the deeper significance of each new image has been way too involved, Banksy’s support organization, Pest Control Office, has indicated.”

So far, two of the eight Banksy animal murals have been removed from their urban perches. Last Thursday, Banksy revealed a wolf painted on a white satellite dish in south London. Within an hour of the artist’s Instagram post, the satellite dish was stolen from the building’s roof by a trio of hooded figures.

Later, a large cat, spray-painted on a blank billboard in northeast London, was removed by a contractor, presumably to prevent theft or damage. Michel Boersma, a curator of Banksy’s art, remarked, “It is a shame that some people just can’t leave the works alone. These street artworks need to be seen in their original locations, as intended by the artist.”