The meaning behind Banksy’s latest run of artwork was revealed today – and is already drawing a crowd of onlookers, including a man who was seen scratching at his latest piece just moments after it was unveiled.
Banksy revealed his sixth artwork in as many days on his Instagram page today at 1pm, but within the hour an opportunist was hilariously caught picking at one the corners.
A passerby captured the moment on camera, as the man appeared to be using a hammer to get underneath the sheet of wood, before eyeing the onlooker and laughing before walking away.
The black silhouette of a large cat stretching on an abandoned billboard appeared in Cricklewood, north London overnight.
It comes after earlier murals unveiled this week consisted of a goat, two elephants, three monkeys, a lone wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans.
Now the anonymous tagger has revealed that he has been leaving the animal murals across London to help spread a bit of happiness, during a bleak news period in the UK.
Do YOU know the man in the video? Get in touch at lettice.bromovsky@mailonline.co.uk
A man has already been spotted trying to nab 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 be using a hammer to get underneath the sheet of wood and make off with the undoubtedly valuable artwork
Banksy revealed his sixth artwork in as many days on his Instagram page today at 1pm, but within the hour an opportunist was caught red handed trying to pry it off the wall
All the places where Banksy has left an animal mural over the last week
It comes after earlier murals unveiled this week consisted of a goat, two elephants, three monkeys and a lone wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans
Fresh paint spotted on some nearby branches
The Guardian reported that Banksy had been trying create ‘moments of unexpected amusement, as well as to gently underline the human capacity for creative play, rather than for destruction and negativity.’
It also claimed that a seventh mural will be popping up in another surprise location soon, so eagle-eyed fans should keep their eyes peeled.
The first piece of graffiti in the series, which he shared on his Instagram account on Monday, showed a goat teetering on a ledge with rocks falling down below it – just above where a CCTV camera was pointed.
The same cherry picker was spotted in the early hours of Monday where the goat mural was being painted. It is located near Kew Bridge, southwest London, on the wall of engineering firm Boss & Co, which builds exclusive guns.
Banksy posted artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond on Monday
Another new artwork, confirmed to be by Banksy, was unveiled on a wall of a house in Chelsea, London this week
The mural sits 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 stretched toward each other on the side of a building near Chelsea.
This was followed by a trio of monkeys looking as though they were swinging from underneath a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing shop and a coffee house in the popular East London market street – not far from Shoreditch High Street.
The primates have been associated with the Japanese proverb ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’. But in Banksy’s work the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.
His fourth artwork which appeared in southeast London yesterday – depicting a howling lone wolf on a satellite dish – appeared to have been stolen within minutes.
The striking painting of the canine howling into the night sky appeared overnight on top of a former Betfred shop on Rye Lane, Peckham.
The artwork showing the silhouette of a wolf howling appeared on a rooftop in Peckham. It is the latest piece in a series of murals that have been unveiled this week
A hooded man with a mask holding the satellite dish while stood on top of the building
Footage emerged showing the shocking moment the artwork was dismantled before being carried away.
The group of hooded men wearing facemasks and gloves were spotted scaling the building, removing the satellite dish, and walking off.
The apparent theft rings echoes of a similar incident last year where another piece by Banksy – a traffic stop sign with three military drones – was also taken.
So far Banksy has been confirming pieces as his with 1pm posts on his Instagram page.
The most recent Google Street View – from June 2022 – shows the billboard being used for a tool company advert.
Banksy’s team has been approached for comment.