Banksy cat image and speculating on how Banksy works in an infographic

Banksy – a street artist and political activist – has been busy. Several of his stencilled images have popped up around London recently, the latest of which at 12th August 2024, the date of this post, was yesterday. It is a large black cat. To me it looks like a domestic cat stretching but one news media outlet describes it as a wild cat. I think not. Correction: I have just noticed the pom-pom on the end of the tail: the mark of a lion and the cat is stocky. What is the relevance? It probably has something to do with conservation or animal welfare. My guess is that it is a statement about the lack of effective lion conservation in Africa as the lion population has depleted tremendously over the past 50 years. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE INFOGRAPHIC.

His artwork frequently addresses social and political issues, criticizing consumerism, war, and inequality. This aligns with many left-wing ideologies. Banksy’s political leanings are often interpreted as left-wing. But we are unsure. And we can’t speculate too much. Ultimately, like the artist himself, the true nature of his political beliefs remains somewhat elusive.

Here is an infographic SPECULATING on how he works. Some of it is common sense. For instance, he often works at a height. He needs scaffolding or a cheery picker. Working at night is a no-brainer if you need to be anonymous.

And because he sometimes works at a height above the ground, he needs equipment and a team to assemble and/or operate the equipment. That’s why he has a team and to operate quickly.

I expect he bumps into the police from time to time. I’d expect one of his team has a word in their ear and they leave him alone. See below for more on the police.

Banksy has been operating since the early 1990s. His career began in the Bristol underground scene and has since grown into an international phenomenon.

Above I touch on his political views. I feel that they allow him to accept the frequent theft of his art which is freely accessible because it is a gift to the average man or woman. It is form of welfare really and if he is left-wing this fits in nicely as an aspect of his art.

Banksy’s art is characterized by a strong blend of satire, social commentary, and dark humor. His work often challenges authority, consumerism, and war. Iconic imagery, such as rats, policemen, and children, recur throughout his artworks, carrying profound messages.

Click this to see many articles on cats in paintings.

The police

There is some more news on how the police interact with Banksy in today’s newspaper. The police are investigating criminal damage after Banksy turned a City of London police sentry box into a fish tank. This is an unusual piece of art by Banksy. It was his seventh artwork in London in as many days. And on eighth has just been created of a rhino mounting a Nissan Micra.

The police box is in Ludgate Hill near the Old Bailey. It was sprayed with translucent paint to look like a fish tank (a school of piranhas). The governing body of the City of London said it was working on options to preserve it.

Crowds gathered around the art until a barrier was erected to stop people posing for pictures inside.

Andy Spooner, the Detective Chief Inspector of the City Of London said: “We are aware of criminal damage to a City Of London police box. We are liaising with the City of London Corporation who own the box.”

Some consider the artwork to be uplifting for residents of the area. There is a buzz around the work and people like it. One photographer said that he thinks the animal artwork by Banksy is a message from him that the city has turned into a zoo.

On Saturday crowds booed as workers removed the cat artwork I mentioned on this page. The contractor which removed the work said it was in case someone “rips it down and leaves it unsafe”. An officer at the artwork said that the owner of the billboard told police that he would donate it to an art gallery.