London Interprets New Banksy Statue

Visitors to central London have a new mystery monument to photograph—and this one really is by Banksy. The elusive street artist has confirmed that a large statue installed before dawn Wednesday in Waterloo Place is his latest work. The sculpture shows a man in a business suit marching off the edge of a plinth, his face completely covered by a billowing flag. Banksy later posted a video of the piece on Instagram, and his name is scratched into the base of the plinth, the BBC reports. Asked about its placement among 19th-century tributes to empire and military glory, he offered a typically brief explanation: "There was a bit of a gap."

The work quickly drew crowds and interpretations. One student at the site called it a response to rising nationalism, noting "that suit screams politician." Commenters online and art observers, including James Peak, creator of BBC podcast The Banksy Story, have described it as a sharp jab at "blind patriotism," with Peak calling it "a brilliant comment" on a powerful figure so obscured by a flag that he's about to step into thin air. The statue was placed close to those of King Edward VII, who reigned between 1901 and 1910, and famed nurse Florence Nightingale, as well as the Crimean War Memorial, per the AP. The Westminster City Council has fenced the statue with safety barriers but said it will stay on display for now.