A New Banksy in London

In the early morning hours of April twenty-ninth, while most across London were still sleeping, the globally recognizable but publicly anonymous street artist Banksy was hard at work constructing a new statue in Waterloo Place. The sculpture depicts a suited man stepping off a raised platform, brandishing an unmarked flag which ripples across his face as his next footstep finds empty air. We captured photos of this newly raised statue, a departure from Banksy’s usual spray-painted artwork. The nameless man stands among existing memorials for King Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, and other prominent British figures. With straight lines and steady shoulders, he exudes confidence, yet the flag holding his allegiance obscures his view of the imminent danger in his path. Banksy both signed the piece and took to social media to take credit in a short video. When asked about the statue’s future prospects, a representative of London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to the New York Times that Banksy’s “work always draws great interest and debate, and the mayor is hopeful that his latest piece can be preserved for Londoners and visitors to enjoy.” A striking if not subtle piece, the statue remains where it was surreptitiously built…for now.