Cachela Smith and Amy Walker
BBC News
Banksy/Instagram
The new artwork has been traced to the city of Marseille, France
Banksy’s latest graffiti art revealed to the world on Thursday is currently traced to the streets of Marseille.
Images posted on Instagram by the elusive artist are depicted as a lighthouse stenciled against a monotonous beige wall with the words “I want to be what you saw in me.”
It appears to have fake shadows painted on the pavement from nearby bollards, giving the illusion that the lighthouse itself is a silhouette of ordinary street furniture.
The location was initially a mystery, but the BBC verification confirmed it as a Rue Felix Frezier in a city in southern France.
Images of art circulating online show that there is a graffiti tag that appears to be reading “yaze” further along the wall, with a blurry person riding a scooter in front of the work.
The tag match used by Canadian graffiti artist Marco the Polo, whose Instagram account features photos of his own work, calls Banksy an inspiration.
Google Streetview shows a wider angle of the street with new artwork – photo before it appears
Banksy has kept his true identity secret throughout his career and has been identified as working only through his Instagram account.
Often, he infuses his work with a political message, and his previous works hint at immigration, war in Ukraine, homelessness and more.
However, some of the meanings of his work are less clear, such as his motivation behind a series of animals depicted in various parts of London last summer.
In front of the lighthouse, Banksy posted a work depicting a Madonna and a child in December.
Get our flagship newsletter with all the headlines you need to start your day. Sign up here.
