Renowned street artist Banksy confirmed on Thursday that he is behind a new sculpture that mysteriously appeared in central London. The piece features a man stepping off a plinth, his face obscured by a swirling flag.
In a playful video uploaded to his Instagram, Banksy offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the sculpture’s installation, which took place under the cover of darkness.
The statue made its debut in the early hours of Wednesday, positioned on a plinth on a traffic island at Waterloo Place, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace.
Even before Banksy’s official announcement, the statue attracted a crowd of curious locals and tourists, many speculating it was his creation due to his signature scribbled at the base.
The new artwork is located in proximity to statues of historical figures such as King Edward VII and Florence Nightingale, as well as the Crimean War Memorial.
While Banksy is primarily celebrated for his street art, sculptures are a rarer venture for the elusive artist.
He is far more famous for his spray-painting on buildings, with his first creations appearing in the early 1990s in his hometown of Bristol in southwest England.
He has since gone global and his paintings and installations have sold for millions of dollars at auction. His street art is often targeted by thieves and vandals.
Banksy, who has never publicly revealed his identity, is part of a tradition of street artists who viewed the undercover act of posting their art in public as a subversive form of expression
