Banksy has revealed his third animal-themed artwork in London since Monday, this time showcasing a trio of monkeys swinging across the bridge of an east London train station.
On Tuesday the Bristol-based artist produced a mural of two elephant silhouettes on the side of a house in Edith Terrace in Chelsea.
A day earlier, he claimed credit for an artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond.
The collection’s latest instalment appeared in Brick Lane on Wednesday near Grimsby Street, not far from Shoreditch High Street.
Banksy confirmed all three works were his via back-to-back Instagram posts. He did not write a caption for any of the photos, fuelling online speculation about their meaning.
Some have already called the collection the “London zoo” series and begun crafting their own theories behind the works. One idea circulating among fans suggests Banksy is comparing the recent far-right rioters to wild zoo animals.
Three monkeys have been associated with the Japanese proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, though in Banksy’s work, the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.
Banksy frequently uses monkeys as motifs in his works, often using the animals to take the place of humans in his pieces to convey social and political messages. For the late Queen’s golden jubilee, he depicted a chimp-faced monarch in black and the colours of the union flag.
When the anonymous artist has appeared in public, he has worn a monkey mask. He has also used the monkey mask to make a parody of the actor Demi Moore, who appeared naked and pregnant on a Vanity Fair magazine cover.
Though a number of identities have been associated with the artist, including that of Robin Gunningham, the street artist remains officially anonymous.
He gained popularity in the early 1990s after spray-painting his now signature stencilled prints around Bristol. In the early 2000s, he moved to London, where he continued to rise to prominence.
The highest price ever paid for a Banksy was £18.5m, with the record-setting auction sale of Love is in the Bin. The artwork, regarded as one of the biggest pranks of art history, is the remains of the live destruction of his piece Girl with Balloon, after a hidden shredder tore the painting moments after auction.
In June Banksy released a migrant boat installation at the Glastonbury festival that was crowd-surfed during performances by the Bristol indie punk band Idles and the rapper Little Simz.
The former home secretary James Cleverly criticised the stunt as “trivialising” small boats crossings. Banksy dismissed the comments, saying it was “a bit over the top”.
In March, the artist created a mural in north London where he sprayed green paint on a wall behind a cut-back tree, giving the impression of foliage. The paint was a similar colour to Islington council’s street signs in the area.
Banksy is known for his satirical street art and striking artistic style, utilising graffiti and stencils. His works have appeared on streets, walls and public spaces worldwide.
