Banksy has officially confirmed that a striking new statue, which mysteriously appeared in central London, is his latest creation. The sculpture features a suited man standing on a plinth, with one leg striding off it, appearing to blindly step into the unknown as a flag envelops his face.
Installation and Reactions
The structure was installed in the early hours of Wednesday, with the street artist sharing a video of the process on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon. The footage showed the installation under the cover of darkness using heavy machinery. Commentators on Banksy's Instagram speculated that the work critiques 'blind patriotism' and walking directly into danger. Many also questioned how the artist managed to pull off such a stunt in a busy area of central London.
Location and Context
The 25-foot statue is located along Pall Mall, near the Athenaeum Club and the Crimean War Memorial. It stands directly in front of a golden Athena statue and close to statues of Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, and the Crimean War Memorial. Commuters on Wednesday morning stopped to take photographs as word spread that the famous insignia at the bottom of the figure could be Banksy's.
In a brief statement, a spokesperson for Banksy said: 'The artist revealed the unsolicited monument at some point in the early hours of yesterday. It is positioned on a traffic island in Pall Mall where Banksy said "there was a bit of a gap."'
Public and Critical Response
The artist's video also featured an anonymous passerby criticising the artwork. 'I don't like it. That's a nice statue up there - I prefer that,' the man says as he points to another nearby statue. Notably, none of Banksy's murals from recent years have been signed, but this piece bears his signature.
Previous Works
Banksy's last artwork, a mural on the side of a skyscraper in central London, depicted a child lying next to another person pointing up at the building and sky. That piece was not signed and appeared on December 22 last year beneath the Centre Point building near Tottenham Court Road, showing a child in a beanie hat and Wellingtons lying on the floor next to another person in a bobble hat. The same artwork also appeared on a building in Queen's Mews in Bayswater.
In September, a Banksy mural showing a protester on the floor holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge hit him with a gavel appeared on the front of the Royal Courts of Justice building. It was swiftly covered up by officials, with security guards seen patrolling in front of a screen concealing the artwork. That artwork followed almost 900 people being arrested in central London at a demonstration supporting banned group Palestine Action.
Banksy's Legacy
One of Banksy's most striking moments was in 2003 when he disguised himself as a pensioner and installed a piece in a vacant spot in the Tate Britain in London. His artwork Girl With Balloon self-destructed in a Sotheby's London saleroom when descending into a shredder in 2018. Banksy, who began his iconic street art more than 25 years ago, has sold his works for hundreds of thousands of pounds. His identity has been shrouded in secrecy until The Mail on Sunday launched an investigation in 2008, naming Robin Gunningham as the Bristol artist. His identity nevertheless remains unconfirmed.
