Banksy? Banksy. Banksy! You can’t walk around London for a minute without hearing the mystery man’s name. To some a political activist, to others a public nuisance, but there’s one thing we can’t dispute – he knows how to keep this city on its toes.
The secretive graffiti artist has been on a nine-day mission to transform the capital into his own personal zoo. From pelicans in Walthamstow to elephants in Chelsea, there has been no clear rhyme or reason to where he will strike next. It’s almost become a game, albeit one where you don’t know the players or the rules, but somehow still fun.
And in the spirit of a good time, I decided to visit all his new work in one day to see 1) if it was possible (spoiler: it is, almost) and 2) why people are still so in love with Banksy almost 30 years into his career. This is what I thought:
Goat on a ledge
I first went to where the crusade started on Monday. Fresh from his viral pro-refugee inflatable stunt at Glastonbury, I think it’s fair to say that no one saw Banksy turn his hand to a simple animal stencil. And yet, here we are. After a hike to Kew, you can also enjoy staring up at Billy as the traffic zooms past on Kew Bridge a meter behind you. The outline itself is well done; the mountain goat looks fluffy and the rocks seem almost textured. You’ll think to yourself: Yep, that’s definitely a goat.
This one has the most debatable message – an element I consider necessary for Banksy to ‘work’. The ledge is crumbling – perhaps a comment on the fall of society during the cost of living crisis? How do we in the UK feel like we’re living on the edge? The speculative meanings are what make him interesting.
I also enjoy Banksy’s playfulness with this piece. Picking a spot watched by CCTV is a great “catch me if you can” moment and I have plenty of time for that. We started strong – the buck is definitely in my top three.
Elephant in the room
