Banksy reveals new work featuring lighthouse and mysterious message

A new Banksy artwork has been revealed by the mysterious graffiti artist.

The mural is of a lighthouse shining with the words, ‘I want to be what you saw in me’ printed on it.

The shadow of a nearby bollard has been sprayed on the pavement, as if the shadow it is casting on the concrete wall behind it is the lighthouse.

Banksy uploaded two photographs of the work to his Instagram account today, including one showing two elderly dog walkers looking at it.

The post was not accompanied by a caption or location.

MyArtBroker, the largest private dealer of Banksy’s work, said the piece is on a road that cuts underneath a building along Rue Félix Fregier, Marseille.

The dealership told Metro: ‘This isn’t Banksy’s typical sarcastic or irreverent style – there’s a more sensitive tone here.

‘The location of Marseille feels significant, especially given Banksy’s longstanding commentary on the migrant crisis.

‘There’s even a faint echo of his Watch Tower works in Palestine; while perhaps a stretch, the shape of the lighthouse shadow could be a subtle nod. As he’s done so often, Banksy transforms the mundane into something compelling, encouraging us to reflect on our surroundings.’

‘This piece seems to speak to both political tension and personal introspection – a kind of push and pull between desperation and hope, or even the gap between who we are and how others see us’

This is the first fresh piece by Banksy, the secretive street artist known for his anti-authoritarian and anti-war work, that he has posted since August.

A photograph of his ‘Madonna with Child’, posted in December, was originally displayed at a private exhibition organised by the Pest Control Office in London in February.

Over the summer, the artist sprayed nine animal-themed works across London, including a goat, elephants, swinging monkeys, a howling wolf, a stretching cat, pelicans, piranhas, a rhino and a gorilla escaping London Zoo.

Many of the pieces featured themes of confinement and escape, experts told Metro, with many expecting the elusive artist to unveil a ‘grand’ piece.

Instead, however, he went silent once again.

The Pest Control Office, the organisation that manages contact with Banksy, declined to comment.

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