Whenever a new Banksy piece shows up in public, there’s always that brief period where everyone’s wondering if it was actually him. Sometimes it’s some other unidentified street artist riding the wave of his particular, some say cringy, perhaps a little too on-the-nose kind of social commentary.
This time around, the mystery didn’t last long, as Banksy’s official Instagram account posted a full video of the installation of his latest piece. This removed all doubt that it was him, which coincided with his identity possibly being revealed.
Banksy’s New Statue Is About as Subtle as a Brick Through a Window
The new work, a statue, appeared overnight in Waterloo Place in London, at a traffic island surrounded by statues of figures of nationalistic pride and arrogance, like King Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, and Winston Churchill. Among them, Banksy said ice fiberglass statue of a man in a suit marching ahead, proudly, defiantly, as the flag he wields engulfs his face, obscuring his vision.
It’s not subtle, though it is a message that is appreciated in this day and age, and it will challenge and annoy the right kind of people. Before it was officially revealed as a Banksy via Instagram, crowds had already been gathering around, and, surprisingly, local authorities aren’t rushing to tear it down. Westminster City Council has said the sculpture will stay, at least for now. A weird shift in response, especially for an artist whose work is usually quickly removed, stolen, or destroyed within days.
As for who that artist actually is, you may have heard a recent investigation claimed to have identified him with near certainty, but as with everything in the Banksy orbit, there’s still a ton of gray area, no official confirmation of their identity, not that it matters much. Few in the world are truly clamoring to find out who Banksy is, yet that won’t stop some from digging and digging for reasons they themselves can’t fully explain outside of a desperate need for answers that none of us are clamoring for.
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