Latest Banksy? New Fish Design Found on London Police Box

A new artwork depicting swimming fish has been spotted on a police box in the City of London, leading to speculation that it may be the latest creation by the elusive street artist, Banksy.

Banksy has yet to take credit for the piece, but if confirmed, it would be the seventh artwork he has unveiled in various London locations this week. Unlike Banksy’s typical silhouette artworks, this aquarium-like design showcases a detailed and tonal depiction of a school of fish.

Throughout this week, Banksy has introduced a new animal-themed artwork each day. The series includes representations of a goat, elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, and a cat, each revealed at 1 PM via photos posted on the artist’s Instagram.

On Saturday, a piece featuring a stretching cat on a distressed advertising billboard was removed from its north-west London location, mere hours after being confirmed as Banksy’s work. As the piece in Cricklewood was taken down by three men, who claimed they were contracted for safety reasons, crowds booed the action.

After Banksy authenticated the design, throngs of people from across London flocked to see the artwork before it was dismantled. According to Marc, one of the contractors speaking to the PA news agency, the removal was originally scheduled for Monday. However, concerns over potential damage and safety led to the decision to expedite the process.

Police requested that a black board be used to obscure most of the cat artwork on the billboard to prevent people from walking into the busy street. An officer at the scene mentioned that the billboard’s owner intended to donate it to an art gallery.

This cat design is the second of Banksy’s pieces to be removed this week. Earlier, a painting of a howling wolf on a satellite dish was taken off the roof of a shop in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after its unveiling.

A witness reported the removal by three men, noting that one of the men threw his phone onto the roof in response to being filmed. Expressing disappointment, the witness said, “It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour.”

A Banksy spokesman clarified to PA that the artist does not support or endorse the theft of the wolf design and has no knowledge of the satellite dish’s current location.

The first piece in this new animal series was revealed on Monday near Kew Bridge in south-west London. It depicts a goat with rocks falling below it, positioned just above a CCTV camera.

On Tuesday, silhouettes of two elephants with trunks outstretched toward each other appeared on the side of a building in Chelsea, west London.

Wednesday’s addition featured three monkeys seemingly swinging beneath a bridge over Brick Lane, a popular market street in east London near Shoreditch High Street.

By Friday, the series included a design of pelicans taking fish from a chip shop sign in Walthamstow, east London.

Source: PA news agency