LONDON: Elusive street artist Banksy on Thursday confirmed he was behind a new work drawing crowds in central London: a statue of a suited man striding into the void while holding a flag that blocks his view.

The monument, which has Banksy’s name scrawled on the base, first appeared on Wednesday just off the central street of Pall Mall.

The man depicted is mounted on a plinth, with one leg striding off it, and appears to be blindly stepping off the platform without knowing it, thanks to the flag enveloping his face.

“The artist revealed the unsolicited monument at some point in the early hours of yesterday,” a spokeswoman for Banksy told AFP in a brief statement, as buzz grew about the new work in the British capital.

“It is positioned on a traffic island in Pall Mall where Banksy said ‘there was a bit of a gap’.” Banksy, whose real identity has not been officially confirmed, posted a video on his Instagram account showing its installation under the cover of darkness using heavy machinery.

Best known for his satirical murals, often using a distinctive stencilling style, the artist typically uses the platform to confirm his works, posting images and captions.

The new statue stands in Waterloo Place, in the heart of central London, close to statues of King Edward VII and nurse Florence Nightingale, as well as the Crimean War Memorial.

The artist typically creates a media and public frenzy whenever he reveals a new piece of art, and the new statue was no exception.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026