This morning, a set of wanted posters featuring Disney's Jafar with Arabic text appeared on a Citibank building in Manhattan. Translated to English, the writing read "Jafar" and "Banksy." While many thought that this was the street artist's 18th piece, Banksy has not confirmed that the work is his. Instead, he posted images of two new paintings on Instagram, a collaboration with the Brazilian street art twins Os Gemeos and the 18th piece for his New York residency, "Better Out Than In."
For the work, which is inspired by the Occupy movement, Banksy and Os Gemeos have aligned their signature styles side-by-side. In one mural, Banksy's armored men surround Os Gemeos' protestors, and in the other the British artist's policeman stands in a crowd of the Brazilian twins' characters. The work first appeared on the cover of the Village Voice for the paper's exclusive interview with Banksy.
This may not be Banksy's first collaboration for his New York residency. Yesterday, a stencil appeared in the South Bronx that may be the work of Banksy and Cope2. The British artist has yet to verify if the piece is his.
The Os Gemeos collab is hanging from the High Line on West 24th Street and is open between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. until Sunday. The restricted access begs the question if this 18th work is in fact street art. Instead, it is more like a commissioned public installation, similar to Carol Bove's High Line sculpture garden.
Banksy posted an image of the two paintings side by side on Instagram with the caption, "West 24th Street with @osgemeos. People ask why I want to have an exhibition in the streets, but have you been to an art gallery recently? They're full. #banksyny#banksy #streetart #art"
Just when we thought we could predict his moves, Banksy remains one step ahead.
