The meaning behind Banksy’s latest artwork was revealed today, when the elusive artist unveiled his latest animal creation: a black cat.
Crowds of people flocked to view the artwork throughout the morning, with one man filmed trying to get a closer look at the artwork after it was unveiled.
A passerby captured the moment when the fan appeared to be prying away some rotting wood with a hammer, before looking at the onlooker, laughing and walking away when he realized he was being filmed.
It is unclear whether the man is part of Banksy’s team or whether he is a worker tasked with making the billboard more attractive and preventing the crumbling wood from falling off.
The black silhouette of a large cat stretching across an abandoned billboard appeared overnight in Cricklewood, north London.
This follows earlier murals unveiled this week which featured a goat, two elephants, three monkeys, a lone wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans.
Now the anonymous tagger has revealed he’s been leaving the animal paintings across London to spread a bit of cheer as the UK experiences gloomy weather.
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A man has already been spotted trying to get his hands on Banksy’s latest artwork less than an hour after it was unveiled
A passerby managed to capture the moment on camera, as the man appeared to use a hammer to get under the sheet of wood and make off with the undoubtedly valuable artwork
Banksy unveiled his sixth artwork in as many days on his Instagram page at 1pm today, but within an hour an opportunist was caught red-handed trying to pry it off the wall
All the places where Banksy left a mural of animals in the past week
This follows previous murals unveiled this week which featured a goat, two elephants, three monkeys and a lone wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans
Fresh paint spotted on some nearby branches
According to The Guardian, Banksy sought to “create moments of unexpected amusement while gently emphasising the human capacity for creative play, rather than destruction and negativity.”
It’s also been rumored that a seventh mural will appear soon in another surprise location, so keen fans should keep their eyes peeled.
The first piece of graffiti in the series, which he shared to his Instagram account on Monday, showed a goat teetering on a ledge with rocks falling below — right above where a security camera was pointed.
The same aerial platform was spotted in the early hours of Monday painting the goat mural. It is located near Kew Bridge, south-west London, on the wall of engineering firm Boss & Co, which builds high-end weapons.
Banksy on Monday placed an artwork of a goat sitting on top of a wall at Kew Bridge in Richmond
This week a new artwork was unveiled on the wall of a house in Chelsea, London, which was confirmed to be by Banksy.
The mural is located above Bonners Fish Bar, on Northcote Road. It is based on a quiet residential street in East London
The next day, the artist added another design to the collection: silhouettes of two elephants with their trunks pointing toward each other on the side of a building near Chelsea.
Next came a trio of monkeys that appeared to be swinging under a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing store and coffee shop on the popular market street in east London, not far from Shoreditch High Street.
The primates are associated with the Japanese proverb ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’. But in Banksy’s work, the monkeys do not cover their eyes, ears or mouths.
His fourth artwork to appear in south-east London yesterday – a lone wolf howling on a satellite dish – appeared to have been stolen within minutes.
The striking painting of the howling dog in the night sky appeared overnight on the roof of a former Betfred store on Rye Lane, Peckham.
The artwork, which features a silhouette of a howling wolf, appeared on a rooftop in Peckham. It is the latest piece in a series of murals unveiled this week
A man wearing a hood and a mask holding the satellite dish while standing on the roof of the building
Footage has emerged showing the shocking moment the artwork is dismantled and then taken away.
The group of men wearing hoods, face masks and gloves were spotted climbing the building, removing the satellite dish and running away.
The alleged theft echoes a similar incident last year, in which another Banksy work – a road sign featuring three military drones – was also stolen.
So far, Banksy has confirmed his pieces via posts on his Instagram page at 1pm.
The most recent Google Street View – from June 2022 – shows the billboard being used for an advertisement for a tool company.
Banksy’s team has been asked for comment.