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Three monkeys artwork is third Banksy in days

A new artwork depicting three monkeys unveiled by Banksy, painted on a bridge in Brick Lane, east London
A new artwork depicting three monkeys unveiled by Banksy, painted on a bridge in Brick Lane, east London

Banksy has posted artwork of three monkeys as the third piece of a new animal-themed collection.

It is the third black silhouette composition that the Bristol-based street artist has claimed credit for since Monday.

On Wednesday he posted an image on Instagram of the monkeys looking as though they were swinging on the bridge of an east London tube station.

It has been done in black, on a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing shop and a coffee house in the popular market street, not far from Shoreditch High Street.

On Tuesday he posted a photo of two elephant silhouettes, with their trunks stretched towards each other.

He posted artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond on Monday.

He did not write a caption for any of the Instagram posts, which has fuelled speculated online about their meaning.

Three monkeys have been associated with the Japanese proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

In Banksy's work the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.

It comes after Banksy revealed an artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond on Monday.

The piece features a silhouette of a goat painted on top of a ledge with rocks falling down below it and a CCTV camera pointed towards the animal.

The artworks follow the artist's migrant boat installation which was crowdsurfed at Glastonbury in June during performances by Bristol indie punk band Idles and rapper Little Simz.

Banksy revealed an artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge on Monday

It was described by then-home secretary James Cleverly as "trivialising" small boats crossings and "vile", but the artist responded saying his reaction was a "a bit over the top".

The Bristol artist said it was the real boat he funded being detained by Italian authorities, after it had rescued unaccompanied children at sea, that he deemed "vile and unacceptable".

In March, the artist created a tree mural in north London, which saw a tree cut back with green paint sprayed behind it to give the impression of foliage.

A stencil of a person holding a pressure hose was also sketched on to the building.

The vivid paint colour matched that used by Islington Council for street signs in the area.