LONDON (AP) — A gorilla and other animals suspected to have escaped from London Zoo Banksy The latest works are archived.
The zoo said it removed the puzzling mural, painted by a street artist on the gate, on Friday night to preserve it and return the entrance to normal operations after heavy visitation over five days last week.
The walls were covered with reproductions of the work and signs reading, in British slang, “Banksy Was Here”.
“We’re thrilled that this artwork has already brought joy to so many people, but most of all we’re incredibly grateful to Banksy for putting wildlife in the spotlight,” the zoo’s chief operating officer, Katherine England, said on the website. “This is an important moment in our history and we want to preserve it properly.”
The stenciled and spray-painted artwork shows a monkey lifting part of a roll-down gate, birds flying off and a sea lion waddling away, with three pairs of eyes peering out from the darkness within.
it is Animal-themed final piece The artist exhibited the work over nine consecutive days in various locations around London, and it is his latest work to disappear from public view.
The meaning of the work by the artist known for his political statements has been widely debated online, and the zoo said the mural had sparked thought-provoking conversations among a range of people, from five-year-olds to Banksy fans, with some suggesting it could be a play on guerrilla art or a comment on the role of zoos.
A representative for Banksy told the Observer that the series was intended to uplift and entertain people in tough times.
Banksy, who began his career spray painting buildings in Bristol, England, has become one of the most famous artists in the world, despite always keeping his identity secret. His paintings and installations are sell for millions of dollars at auction And then I drew thief and Destroyer.
The zoo mural is at least the fifth in the animal series to be stolen, defaced or moved to a safe location for conservation.
A howling wolf, silhouetted against a full moon, was painted on a satellite dish by masked men hours after the artist posted a photo on his Instagram page identifying the work. Workers removed the worn-out sign, which showed a big cat stretching its paws, after onlookers heckled it.
The sign’s owner told police that it would be reassembled at the museum, the BBC reported.
A drawing of a rhinoceros, apparently climbing into a broken-down Nissan parked on the sidewalk, had been painted on a brick wall, but it was vandalised and the car confiscated.
The City of London has removed a small police station that had a tank of piranhas painted in its window, and a spokesman said it would eventually be put back in a place where the public could see it.
Jasper Tordoff, a Banksy expert at My Art Brokers, told The Associated Press that he liked the idea that the final mural in the series could have been a revelation that the other animals seen around London – elephants, goats, monkeys and pelicans – all came from zoos.
But he also said the artist, well aware of the attention his work receives, may have anticipated a public reaction that went beyond mere appreciation.
“I think he’s commenting on human nature, wanting to own things even if it means breaking the law,” Tordoff said, “but at the same time, it’s a nice way to care for and try to preserve these items.”
The zoo covered the mural with a clear plastic shield and had security guards guarding it while it was on display, but has not said what it will do with the artwork.
But removing the artwork means it, like the animals, will be protected, and if it is ever put back on display, it may only be viewed but not touched within the zoo.
