LONDON (AP) — The mysterious street artist known as Banksy has taken credit for a sculpture that materialized overnight in London’s heart, showing a figure stepping away from a pedestal while a flowing flag obscures his vision.
The secretive artist revealed his involvement Thursday through a comedic Instagram video displaying clips of the nighttime installation process. The artwork was positioned during the early morning hours Wednesday on a pedestal located on a traffic island at Waterloo Place, not far from Buckingham Palace.
Prior to Banksy’s social media confirmation, curious onlookers and visitors had already suspected the piece belonged to the famous artist due to his distinctive signature carved into the pedestal’s base.
The new installation sits in proximity to monuments honoring King Edward VII, who ruled from 1901 to 1910, and celebrated nurse Florence Nightingale, along with the memorial commemorating the Crimean War.
Three-dimensional sculptures represent a departure from Banksy’s usual medium. The artist gained recognition primarily through his graffiti work on building walls, beginning his career in the early 1990s in Bristol, located in southwestern England. His influence has expanded worldwide, with his artwork and installations commanding millions at auction houses. His public pieces frequently become targets for theft and destruction.
The artist, whose true identity remains unknown to the public, belongs to a movement of underground creators who consider the clandestine placement of their work a form of rebellious artistic statement.
