Banksy’s Eighth London Artwork in Eight Days Already Defaced

Banksy’s latest piece of art, featuring a striking silhouette of a rhino appearing to mount a silver Nissan Micra with a traffic cone on its bonnet, was unfortunately defaced within hours of being revealed. The artwork, located on Westmoor Street in Charlton, southeast London, had drawn significant attention due to its bold imagery.

According to reports by the BBC, the defacement was carried out by a man in a black balaclava, who was aided by an accomplice waiting nearby. The entire incident occurred in less than 30 seconds, leaving onlookers shocked. A witness described how the “random youth” brazenly approached and tagged the installation before quickly fleeing the scene with his accomplice.

Banksy, the elusive street artist, confirmed the piece as his own through an Instagram post on August 12th. This rhino piece marks the eighth addition to Banksy’s animal-themed collection. Previous pieces in this series have included depictions of a goat, elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat, and fish, appearing in various parts of London.

In an effort to protect these artworks, barriers have been installed around his seventh piece, a depiction of swimming piranhas on a City of London Police sentry box. A spokesperson from the City of London Corporation mentioned they are evaluating options to preserve this particular piece of art.

However, the defacement of the rhino artwork was not an isolated incident. Earlier, one of Banksy’s pieces, featuring a howling wolf on a satellite dish, was stolen by three individuals shortly after Banksy verified it as his work. Tom Kellow, a resident of Peckham, witnessed the theft while on his lunch break. He recounted seeing three men with a ladder—one on the roof while the other two stood watch. When they noticed Kellow filming, tensions escalated, leading to one of the thieves kicking him and attempting to throw his phone onto the roof. Fortunately, his phone hit a tree and fell back down. Kellow reported the incident to a nearby police officer.

Reacting to the theft, a spokesperson for Banksy stated that the artist does not condone the act and has no information regarding the current location of the stolen satellite dish.

Banksy’s new animal-themed series commenced with its first piece appearing near Kew Bridge in southwest London. This artwork depicted a goat above a CCTV camera, seemingly with rocks tumbling down. The subsequent day, two elephants with their trunks extended towards each other were found on the side of a building near Chelsea. This was followed by a trio of monkeys appearing to swing from underneath a bridge over Brick Lane, a popular market street in east London, close to Shoreditch High Street.

Throughout the week, Banksy continued to captivate the public with more of his animal-themed works. In Walthamstow, east London, an image of pelicans stealing fish from a London chip shop sign emerged, swiftly followed by the howling wolf piece. The sixth artwork, located in Cricklewood, northwest London, consisted of a large cat with an upturned nail, seemingly stretching its body.

These artworks have garnered substantial public interest, embodying Banksy’s signature style that often blends powerful imagery with social commentary. Despite their popularity, the incidents of defacement and theft highlight the vulnerability of street art to vandalism.

Banksy’s pieces continue to provoke thought and admiration, even as incidents like these demonstrate the challenges of preserving street art in its natural, urban environment.

Source: BBC, PA News