Share and Follow
Renowned street artist Banksy confirmed on Thursday that the new sculpture, depicting a man stepping forward with a flag obscuring his face, in central London is indeed his creation.
Banksy released a playful video on his Instagram account, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the covert installation process, which took place under the cover of darkness.
The artwork mysteriously appeared early Wednesday morning on a plinth situated on a traffic island at Waterloo Place, in close proximity to Buckingham Palace.
Before Banksy’s announcement, both locals and visitors gathered around the statue, speculating about its origins. Their suspicions were largely due to the iconic signature inscribed at the base, suggesting Banksy’s handiwork.
The sculpture joins the vicinity of historical figures, standing near monuments of King Edward VII, who ruled from 1901 to 1910, esteemed nurse Florence Nightingale, and the Crimean War Memorial.
Statues are not what Banksy is primarily known for.
He is far more famous for his spray-painting on buildings, with his first creations appearing in the early 1990s in his hometown of Bristol in southwest England.
He has since gone global and his paintings and installations have sold for millions of dollars at auction. His street art is often targeted by thieves and vandals.
Banksy, who has never publicly revealed his identity, is part of a tradition of street artists who viewed the undercover act of posting their art in public as a subversive form of expression