An expert has weighed in on the new Banksy artwork that's been popping up in London over the past nine days, and it might not be what you think.
The artist's ninth piece in a row was revealed on Tuesday (13 August), located on a shutter at London Zoo.
The intriguing work featured a gorilla lifting up a sheet to free other animals, including birds and what appears to be a seal.
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Despite his identity being highly speculated - and many names thrown around over the years - Banksy's true self has never been revealed.
It's believed his first piece of work, The Mild Mild West, which features a teddy throwing an explosive at three police officers, was painted in Bristol in 1999.
Most recently, the anonymous street artist has been creating various animal-themed artwork and posting it on his Instagram account each afternoon.
The collection has included a goat standing on a narrow ledge; two elephants poking their heads out of a window; three monkeys dangling on a bridge and a pelican sitting on top of a fish and chip shop.
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The new series of work has certainly had tongues wagging, with many wondering what the collection could mean.
Of course, there's all kinds of theories doing the rounds about why Banksy chose to include animals and why he's created so much work in one stint.
In true Banksy style, none of the posts have any context added, so ultimately it's been left to the public's interpretation.
But now, an expert from MyArtBroker has revealed a fascinating theory behind the new work - and why the meaning behind the art could actually be quite sinister.
“It’s been suggested it’s 'just for fun' to brighten up the world, but nothing with Banksy is just for fun," Charlotte Stewart, managing director at MyArtBroker tells LADbible.
"Street works by Banksy are intended for the public, and as such are for everyone to interpret personally.
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"For me, personally, they represent the gradual building of an Ark, as the Bible story of Noah does when the world needed to start over again. Representing a mass exodus.
"Equally, Banksy has been notorious for his works that involve animal welfare, such works as ‘Barcode’ and ‘Laugh Now’ show themes of animal activism.
"It is a subject he hasn’t dealt with in recent years, but it seems an incongruous focus with the state of the world right now, its wars, and current politics."
Whatever the meaning, the work certainly seems significant, especially considering the artist has never created a format quite like this one.
Jasper Tordoff, who is a Banksy specialist at MyArtBroker, added: "I think Banksy is the ultimate entertainer and has delicately kept the public guessing and speculating his next moves over the past week.
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"Typically, we see Banksy do one or two works surrounding a major event in the world, whereas this Zoo series isn’t a format we have seen before."
You can see the full collection created (so far) by Banksy below:
Gorilla letting birds escape - 13 August
Rhino mounting car - 12 August
Piranhas on a police sentry box - 11 August
A stretching cat - 10 August
Pelicans at the fish bar - 9 August
A wolf howling into the night sky - 8 August
Monkeys on a bridge - 7 August
Elephants in the window - 6 August
A goat on the wall - 5 August
Lucy Devine