Art in itself is often an ambiguous expression, left open to the interpretation of the individual. And, when the identity of the artist himself is left unknown, art becomes an expression of mystery. One such artist, Banksy, has been leaving his mark in cities across the world, his provoking street art magically appearing overnight and leaving his fans intrigued as to his identity which, to this day, remains a mystery.

Banksy recently struck New York with his latest art installation entitled The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill, provoking, once again, amazement and surprise. Crowds of people rushed to visit an artificial pet shop in the Village to witness Banksy’s exhibit of animals that are most certainly not your typical pet. Looking into one of the display windows, your eyes could easily be fooled as your gaze falls on a leopard lying on a tree branch moving its tail to a rhythm of a silent song. Two other windows contain a white rabbit with pearls around its neck sitting in front of an oval mirror filing its nails, and what resemble chicken nuggets pecking at seeds while their mother look over them.

Once inside the store, things become even more bizarre. There is a chimp intently watching a Discovery Channel documentary on chimpanzees, hot dogs slithering in cages, an aged Tweety swinging in a birdcage, whilst fish sticks swim in fish bowls. The movement of these out-of-the ordinary creatures has been made possible by the technology of animatronics, which is a technique that Banksy has never worked with before.

Displaying these ‘animals’ in unnatural habitats, Banksy has sought to depict the frailty of these creatures. He wanted to express the relationship that animals have with humankind, as well as the ethics used in factory farming that are often harmful to them.

Banksy is best known for his street art and his controversial graffiti works left visible on buildings and in tunnels. He seeks to go against the norm and glorify that which often goes unnoticed by the masses. At the same time, he defys authority, vividly demonstrating that not everything lies in their power.

However, Banksy goes beyond street art. Two years ago, Los Angeles was graced with the presence of his elephant that was featured within an exhibition. Banksy dyed a live elephant, which went by the name of Tai, in various shades of pink and in patterns reminiscent of wallpaper, in protest against world poverty. This provoked public outrage and an outcry from animal supporters who claimed this was animal cruelty. Although the dye was not harmful to the elephant, Banksy was forced to scrub the animal clean, leaving the elephant naked for the final day of the exhibition.

Banksy has been speculated to be a 34-year-old born in Bristol, England who goes by the real name of Robin Gunningham. However, these supposed rumors have yet to be proven, and Banksy, like his art, remains a mystery. The only certainty we are left with is that he will never fail to provoke and challenge our perspectives.

Top image courtesy of NYTimes.com