Banksy has returned… and he /
she
They might have traversed the Channel.
On Thursday, in an Instagram update,
Banksy
presented his newest work: a traffic bollard that casts the shadow of a lighthouse, accompanied by the phrase “I want to be what you saw in me.”
The posting lacked both a caption and a location.
In less than ten hours after being posted, the image garnered over 500,000 likes.
Although Banksy’s work often includes satire or social commentary, this latest piece has left enthusiasts perplexed.
Perhaps a criticism of government monitoring?
Perhaps a reflection on contemporary solitude?
Is it perhaps something deeper, a widespread sentiment marked by a hint of sadness?
Banksy once again excels at transforming everyday objects into unexpectedly striking pieces, serving as a poignant reminder that the commonplace items we encounter regularly can adopt new significance based on our perspective—thus preventing us from overlooking the potential extraordinariness around us.
Each of us requires a beacon, a source of direction and optimism. There’s also an urge within us to be recognized for our true selves and to strive toward becoming improved versions of ourselves. Imagine how simpler life might become if we could view ourselves as others see us, potentially glimpsing the more favorable persona that others envision us being.
The fresh piece of art has caused Banksy enthusiasts to wildly speculate about where it might be located.
Geoguessers on social media have speculated that the street art may be Marseille, in the south of France.
All we know is that the piece comes five months after “Mother and Child”, the December 2024 artwork that reinterpreted the religious iconography of the “Madonna and Child” in a contemporary light, and follows the
elusive artist
’s 2023 “Beastly London” campaign. The latter was a
a nine-day flurry of animal-inspired wall paintings
spread throughout the city, where elephants were seen peering out of shuttered windows in Chelsea and a
horny
a rhinoceros energetically climbing onto a Nissan Micra
in Walthamstow.
In another part of the interview, Blink-182 lead singer Mark Hoppus
sold his Banksy painting
for £5.2 million at a London auction earlier this year,
The highest record for a Banksy sale remains at £18.6 million in 2021 (equivalent to €27 million when adjusting for inflation), which was set by “Love is in the Bin.” Following this,
mounted a shredder within the frame
In 2006, he created the artwork titled “Girl with Balloon.” In 2018, during an auction, he had it automatically shredded afterward. The partially destroyed piece was then retitled and fetched an astonishing price.
