Last September, mysterious yet inimitable British artist Banksy spray-painted a damning portrait onto the wall of London’s Royal Courts of Justice. The scene depicted a bewigged judge beating a protestor with his gavel. Within days of the mural’s appearance — which took authorities by surprise despite a security camera sitting right above it — the powers that be had painted over the image, a literal case of whitewashing. At least the image will live on in pictures, plus we know Banksy has a unique understanding of the ephemeral nature of his work. Well, Banksy has struck again, with a work no less political yet much harder to simply paint away. A statue materialized last Wednesday in central London of a man proudly carrying a flag, the cloth of which entirely obscures his face, thus blinding him to the fact he’s about to take one bold step off solid ground. The next day, Banksy confirmed authorship of the work in an excellent Instagram post:
A statue that was erected mysteriously in central London early Wednesday has been confirmed as the work of the mischievous, often politically oriented artist Banksy.
The statue depicts a man in a suit hoisting a large flag. The flag’s cloth covers the man’s face, however, and his proud march appears to be courting disaster, as he steps off the plinth with no ground beneath him.
The statue appeared in public just as King Charles III made a state visit to Washington D.C., New York City and Virginia, in which the king and Queen Camilla were feted by President Trump at a state dinner and during which the British royal addressed Congress, arguing for the importance of NATO.
The statue, which includes a Banksy signature on its base, was erected overnight on Wednesday. By Thursday, a video about the piece had been published on Banksy’s Instagram account, confirming it as his work. The video, set to British composer Edwar Elgar’s 1901 Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 — whose melody was played at King Edward VII’s coronation — ends with a man telling the videographer how much he dislikes the work.
The statue is positioned in Waterloo Place, near heroic statues of King Edward VII and Florence Nightengale [sic]. It is unclear whether or not the artist received official permission for the installation; in an email to The New York Times, a representative for the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wrote: “Banksy has a great ability to inspire people from a range of backgrounds to enjoy modern art. His world always draws great interest and debate, and the mayor is hopeful that his latest piece can be preserved for Londoners and visitors to enjoy.”
On Friday, Westminster City Council said in a statement, shared with the Associated Press, that they have no plans to remove the piece, writing: “We welcome Banksy’s latest sculpture in Westminster, which makes a striking addition to the city’s vibrant public art scene. While we have taken initial steps to protect the statue, at this time it will remain accessible for the public to view and enjoy.”
Is it Charles? Is it Trump? Is it Camilla?? Who knows! That’s what makes it such an incisive and effective work of art! Not to mention a frightening marker of the times, that so many names right now could fill in the blank of a leader leading us off the brink. Which is why I appreciate Banksy matching the startling subject with a rather upbeat Insta video. It’s the music that does it, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, but not the melody played at every graduation ceremony for the past hundred years, the zippy section that precedes that. And then ending the whole thing with the older gentleman talking about how much he doesn’t like it — just perfect. And a bit on point? Authoritarians, like the figure represented in the statue, can’t stand to be ridiculed, objected to, or satirized. Whereas an artist like Banksy knows how to embrace it. Also, I love how this time around, the city officials are all tripping over each other to declare how much they LOVE the piece and have no plans to remove and/or destroy it, lol. Keep marching to the beat of your own drum, Banksy! Just, not off a cliff like your latest work.
Photos credit: Justin Ng/Avalon, Alex Day/Avalon