New Banksy animal art sparks hunt for hidden meaning

But what do people on the street think?

At 08:00 BST on Friday, Brick Lane is relatively quiet – the hum of tourists who usually descend for food, fashion and street art are nowhere to be seen yet.

But there are a few who take advantage of the lack of traffic, stopping in the middle of the street to take selfies and photos.

The three primates on a railway line have been associated with the three wise monkeys in the Japanese proverb – “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

But in Banksy’s work, the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.

A group of women are excited to see the artwork, and a passerby stops and offers to take their photo together.

They tell the BBC they love Banksy because of the mystery surrounding his identity (Banksy’s identity has always remained a secret, though on The Banksy Story, a 2003 interview was unearthed, where the artist confirmed his name was Robbie).

“I love his work because it’s secret, it’s undercover, and it’s always topical – it’s not random,” Caz says.

“I think it might be in relation to what’s going on in the country at the moment,” says Sally, “a statement.”

About five minutes later, another man stops to take a photo on a professional camera – he says he’s going on a tour of London to catch the artworks which have appeared so far.