It was late April, when world renown street artist Banksy installed a brand-new sculpture titled Blind Faith in Waterloo Place, Central London, which the reclusive artist later authenticated on his Instagram account.
APB News in London made our way to Waterloo Place in the St. James’s neighborhood of Westminster where the perfectly positioned square sits directly in front of the gilded statue of Athena on the front site of the Athenaeum Club.
The fiberglass-and-resin monument depicts a suited man confidently marching right off the edge of a granite-style platform while holding a massive flag that flows backward, completely covering his face and covering his eyes.
Some art critics after studying the work interpret the piece as a sharp political satire addressing “blind nationalism” and extreme patriotism.
Word is that the statue was pre built – as well as the platform it sits on – installed in the middle of the night – no permits, evading the London police and with no plaque detailing what its significance is.
Banksy deliberately chose a plaza filled with 19th-century monuments celebrating British imperial power and military history right near British heroic statues of King Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, and the Guards Crimean War Memorial.
While erected secretly overnight using a heavy low-loader truck, the Westminster City Council has chosen to leave it standing for public enjoyment. Protective barriers and fencing have been erected around the base to safeguard the piece from theft or vandalism. But this is Bansky, and the City of London can remove it at any time.
What do you think the statue actually means and represents?
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