Banksy Confirms New Art... But What Does it Mean?
A goat, falling rocks, and a CCTV camera. Why?
Banksy, the secretive street artist and political activist, confirmed that a spraypainting in southwest London is authentic.
The piece features a spraypainted goat on top of a pillar against a wall in Kew Green, Richmond. Off to the side, a CCTV security camera is aimed at rocks falling below the goat.
Banksy’s instagram was posted without a caption, opening the piece up for discussion.
What does it mean?
“The goat represents the human race on the precipice, ‘of the edge of extinction’, the jump is not important better to take a few steps backwards,” robbartlett13 commented on Instagram. Hundreds of people agreed with him, judging by the likes the comment received.
Others tended to focus on the security camera pointed at the falling rocks (though the camera was shifted after Banksy posted the image.)
“Humans are the unresponsive camera watching as all of nature is in peril. There is no where else for life (nature) to go. We did this. And yet we have removed ourselves from being present and responsible or empathetic,” leesajoanniverson suggested. “Thank you Banksy.”
But it was chrisbarcroft’s theory that I gravitated to the most:
“The camera is looking at the falling rocks, rather than what's causing them to fall. Goats are adapted to climbing on narrow ledges, so it isn't in danger, but the camera's view doesn't give the full picture. So l'd guess that it's referencing the need to understand that news needs context before forming an opinion.”
Banksy’s has a history of making political art.
Last month, Banksy took to Instagram to reveal that a rescue boat funded by the artist had been detained by Italian authorities.
“The real boat I fund, the MV Louise Michel, rescued 17 unaccompanied children from the central Med on Monday night.” The caption read. “As punishment the Italian authorities have detained it - which seems vile and unacceptable to me.”
The post was paired with an image of a life raft designed by the artist being crowdsurfed around the Glastonbury music festival.
But it wasn’t just any set at Glastonbury - the raft was strategically deployed. According to The Guardian:
Many in the crowd believed it to be part of Idles’ show, dovetailing with the Bristol punk band’s lyrics about immigration, criticism of rightwing governance and calls for empathy. But a representative for the band announced on Saturday that the boat was created by Banksy, and the band weren’t aware of the stunt until after the set.
The raft, a reference to the small boats carrying migrants across the Channel that have been such a high-profile target of Rishi Sunak’s immigration policy, was crowdsurfed through the thousands-strong Other stage crowd, which Idles were headlining on Friday night.
It was launched during the song Danny Nedelko, which opens with the lyrics:
My blood brother is an immigrant / A beautiful immigrant / My blood brother’s Freddie Mercury
A Nigerian mother of three / He’s made of bones, he’s made of blood / He’s made of flesh, he’s made of love
He’s made of you, he’s made of me / Unity / Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain / Pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate
Whether it’s the Russian invasion of Ukraine or raising money for healthcare workers or opening “The Walled Off Hotel” in the West Bank, Banksy has used art to speak out on the issues & conflicts plaguing our world.
Somehow, an elusive, anonymous artist shines a light on crises - in the headlines and those overlooked - and gets people to pay attention.