‘Horny’ Rhino Is Banksy’s Eighth Mural To Invoke London’s Wild Side
Image via Banksy
Banksy’s painted beasts are running rampant in London, with the latest addition truly being something to toot your horn about. The renowned street artist has unleashed the eighth of his string of animal-themed murals, featuring a rhino in a rather compromising position with a silver Nissan Micra.
Appearing on Westmoor Street in Charlton, southeast London, this new piece depicts a rhinoceros seemingly mounting the car, with a traffic cone perched atop its head, resembling another rhino. The creature’s weight appears to be pushing down the back of the vehicle.
As with all of Banksy’s works, this piece arrives without explanation, leaving the public to interpret its message. But this narrative might be the series’s most conspicuous one yet. Onlookers can’t help but chuckle at the suggestive nature of the scene, as the rhinoceros seems to be mistaking the car for a mate.
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“It doesn’t look consensual,” quips one Instagram user, while another wonders if this risqué scenario might signal “the climax” of Banksy’s recent string of animal murals.
Yet amid the humor, there’s a poignant undertone. As one observer notes, the artwork carries “sad tones,” reminding us that rhinoceroses are endangered and “running out of mating partners” in the wild.
This rhino rendezvous is just the latest in a series that’s been captivating Londoners since August 5, 2024. Each day has brought a new surprise, from a goat near Kew Bridge to elephants in Chelsea, monkeys in Brick Lane, a wolf in Peckham, pelicans in Walthamstow, a cat in Cricklewood, and piranhas in in Ludgate Hill. The daily unveilings have turned the city into an open-air gallery or concrete zoo, with art observers eagerly awaiting each new addition.
[via Sky News, Metro.co.uk, BBC News, images via Banksy]
