New Banksy statue appears in London
· Toronto Sun
Artist Banksy has confirmed Thursday that a statue installed in central London this week is one of his works.
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The statue of a man dressed in a suit, walking off a plinth, while holding a billowing flag that covers his face, was installed at Waterloo Place in London’s St. James area.
The mysterious artist’s signature is seen at the bottom of the plinth.
A representative for Banksy told the BBC that he installed the sculpture in the middle of the night on Wednesday, before posting a video of it on Instagram Thursday afternoon.
In the video , the artist shows shots of Waterloo Place and surrounding landmarks, like Big Ben with a Union Jack waving in front of it, and statues of Winston Churchill, Lord Lawrence and Edward VII. It then cuts to a shot of a graphic showing an arrow pointing to an empty space on the street with a thinking face emoji.
Shots of a crew are then seen installing the statue at night. And in daylight, an elderly man is seen observing the statue, saying “I don’t like it.”
The new statue has drawn many to the area, leading the city to erect barriers around it on Thursday, the BBC reported.
City council reacts to statue’s sudden appearance
Local officials have embraced the sculpture, with Westminster City Council telling the national broadcaster that it was “excited” to see Banksy’s art in the neighbourhood.
“While we have taken initial steps to protect the statue, at this time it will remain accessible for the public to view and enjoy,” it said.
Waterloo Place was named after the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo, marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
According to the BBC , it was designed to celebrate British imperialism and military dominance in the 1800s.