Following the recent onslaught of animal artworks by street artist Banksy in various London locations, the question now is: what will happen to the nine works? First, a brief summary: a goat, two elephants, three swinging monkeys, a howling wolf, a stretching cat, pelicans, a school of piranhas painted on the glass of a police station near the Old Bailey in central London, a rhinoceros climbing on a car and finally a gorilla apparently leading a mass escape from London Zoo.
The wolf painted on a satellite dish in Peckham has already been stolen by a group wearing balaclavas. The guard hut has since been moved to Guildhall Yard “to ensure it is appropriately protected and can be safely accessed by the public”, according to the City of London Corporation. The stretching cat was there for just a few hours before it was removed by building contractors who feared for its safety.
But commenters are still wondering what will happen to the other animal artworks, particularly the gorilla artwork at London Zoo. “What will happen to the artwork? Will it be preserved and displayed? Will it be sold to raise money for ZSL (Zoological Society of London)?” asked one commenter on social media platform X. The zoo responded: “We are still working out what exactly we will do with the artwork, but we want to preserve this moment in our history!”
The sale of the work would undoubtedly be a windfall for the animal sanctuary, which needs almost £60 million annually for research and conservation. Banksy’s auction record is £18.5 million, including fees for Love is in the trash can2018, was sold at Sotheby’s London in 2021. The GuardianAuthorities have now replaced the work with a replica and a sign reading “Banksy woz ere” to give fans the opportunity to at least enjoy a reproduction of the gorilla (or guerrilla) art.
