A new statue by Banksy has been installed in central London, depicting a man whose face is obscured by a large billowing flag. The artwork was first spotted on Wednesday in Waterloo Place, St James's, Westminster, with the artist's signature at the base of the plinth. Banksy confirmed the work on Instagram on Thursday, posting a video showing the statue being towed into place overnight.
The sculpture shows a man marching forward off a plinth, carrying a flag that covers his face. The accompanying video juxtaposes the statue with British flags, a Beefeater soldier, and a black cab, and includes a passer-by saying: “No, I don’t like it.” The statue is situated near monuments to Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, and the Crimean War Memorial.
Banksy’s most recent confirmed London work was a December mural of two children lying down and looking at the sky near Centre Point Tower, seen as a comment on homelessness. In September, he created a mural outside the Royal Courts of Justice showing a judge beating a protester with a gavel, which was later removed due to the building’s listed status.
The artist has made statues before, including 2004's The Drinker on Shaftesbury Avenue, a parody of Rodin's The Thinker that was quickly taken down. Meanwhile, a Reuters investigation claimed to have identified Banksy as Robin Gunningham of Bristol, but the artist’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, has disputed the findings, noting that Banksy’s anonymity is crucial because he has faced “fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour.”
