Banksy's London Zoo: New Animal Murals Across the City

The first spray painted animal in this series appeared on Monday 5th August. A solitary mountain goat (or gazelle) appeared on a building at the end of Kew Bridge, teetering precariously on the edge with a surveillance camera watching its struggle. At this point, no one anticipated that the goat would be the impetus behind a new series. Theories on this work were diverse, from the political to the self-indulgent. Some believed the goat in distress to be a symbol for society on the brink of collapse. Some thought it wasn’t a goat at all, instead believing it to be a Palestinian gazelle, a species facing threats of extinction. Others took the subject at face value, assuming it to be Banksy’s self-proclamation as the “GOAT” (Greatest Of All Time) of Street Art.

Just as crowds were swarming around the Kew Bridge goat, Banksy took to his Instagram the following day to announce his second London spray of the week: two elephants in Edith Terrace. The two elephants are sprayed on boarded windows on the side of a Chelsea townhouse, extending their trunks towards one another with a hopeful gesture of meeting in the middle. Once again, this post came with no caption or insight from the artist himself on what it might mean, but Banksy left us deciphering what the “elephants in the room” might be.

On 7th August, Banksy announced his third instalment in the series: this time three monkeys swinging across a rail bridge on Brick Lane. Monkeys are one of Banksy’s most prolific and repeated motifs. However, these are not the chimpanzees were accustomed to seeing in Banksy’s oeuvre, making them a standout in this particular series. Thanks to their appearance as a three, many thought the monkeys to be an allusion to the age-old proverb: “see no evil, speak no evil, see no evil”. It was at this point in the genesis of the series that people began to draw links between the three works, seeing their numbers grow in correlation to the day of the project.

Despite many anticipating a group of four animals in his next work, Banksy emerged in Peckham with a lone wolf sprayed onto a satellite dish above a Rye Lane shop. Giving the impression of a wolf silhouetted by the light of the moon, this particular work was a showcase of Banksy’s aptitude to turn found objects into carefully conceived artworks. The choice of a singular wolf seems to follow a narrative being constructed by all the animals thus far. As our Banksy Specialist Helena Poole commented: “Perhaps Banksy feels like the lone wolf, howling at the moon whilst governments fail to do anything about wider issues.” Within an hour of the work being announced however, three masked individuals were filmed prising it off the building’s roof and stealing the howling wolf from its rightful place.

This time, two pelicans were sprayed onto commercial premises, incorporating the sign from a fish and chip shop to complete the work - showing two pelicans feasting on fish.

This was the first work to be so heavily published before Bansky's official claim to the work - with many on Instagram and other social channels posting about it from as early as 8 am on Friday 9th August. The London public were suddenly alert for all potential Banksy works.

Another work that was found before the official claim of ownership, this time Banksy bought a black panther, or big cat, to a disused billboard on Edgware Road near Cricklewood in London.

The work incorporates its surroundings, as if the big cat has damaged its captivity trying to escape the chain that's shown around its neck.

The seventh work from Banksy shows a school of piranhas in a police box in Ludgate Hill, London.

It's currently the most interactive of all the works in this series.

Banksy is keeping the art world and enthusiasts talking with his latest work in the London Zoo series. Over the weekend, he revealed two additional works, and today, his most detailed piece yet: a large rhinoceros perched on top of a silver Nissan Micra, complete with a matching traffic cone on the car’s hood. This detailed artwork seems to playfully respond to criticism of the simple black stencil style in the other works from this series. The rhinoceros is Banksy's eighth piece in the series, adding to the ongoing excitement.

After nine days of anticipation, Banksy kept his fans on edge by unveiling the ninth instalment of his so-called London Zoo series. This piece features a spray-painted gorilla on the security shutters of the London Zoo itself, depicted as releasing birds, a sea lion, and other animals from beneath a blanketed tarp. Unlike the previous works in the series, this one stands out as the largest yet, was announced earlier, at 9:30 A.M., via the artist's Instagram, and its location feels particularly significant in the context of the entire series.

The piece has been met with excitement and praise, with a London Zoo spokesperson telling the BBC it was “an honour” and “absolutely brilliant.” Crowds have already gathered to take photographs, and the artwork is currently cordoned off for protection.