On Sunday, Banksy put up his 20th work in New York City for his “much talked about” outdoor exhibition Better Out Than In. It’s a silhouette of a young child wielding a sledgehammer to a fire hydrant. Reminiscent of the classic carnival game where one rings a bell by hitting a target with a hammer, the whimsical piece has been dubbed “Hammer Boy” by the media. On his website, Banksy put up just one photo of it with no audio guide or commentary.
My good friend, Rebecca, spotted the piece in the Upper West Side, just down the street from where she lives. She took this photo of her son Jacob next to it before it got covered in Plexiglas, by another street artist, and then got “tagged” with the words, “Let the Streets Decide.”
As you can see in the photo, Jacob looks almost exactly like the boy in the stencil. Next to the enchanting garden installation and the disturbing stuffed animals truck, this is one of my favorite pieces by Banksy, so far.
Have you seen it animated? Check out the gif, below, by ABVH.
Banksy’s website
Photo credit: [Rebecca Browning, Banksy]