Banksy returns to NYC with Bowery Wall mural, 14th Street tag

Graffiti artist Banksy is making a foray into New York City once again with his latest work, which depicts a rat—a recurring theme in his work—running along the inner circumference of a clock above a former bank building on 14th Street. (There’s surely some comment being made about the rat race in capitalism, but in typical Banksy fashion, he’s kept mum about the meaning behind the imagery.)

Banksy first notified the public of his latest artwork on his Instagram account yesterday. Banksy’s latest creation adorns a large single-story commercial building located at 101 West 14th Street, which is slated for demolition.

In December last year, a developer filed plans to tear down the building and replace it with a 13-story condo building. The new structure, designed by ODA New York, will bring 45 apartments to the neighborhood along with ground floor retail.

Banksy’s latest work in NYC comes five years after the artist did a month-long residency in the city, in the fall of 2013. It’s not yet clear if this is the start of a new series in the city, but sadly for Banksy fans, his latest work will be lost when the building comes down in the coming months.

The elusive British artist is also responsible for the latest mural to adorn the Bowery Wall; the piece is meant to bring awareness to the imprisonment of Zehra Dogan, a Turkish artist who was jailed for “creating a painting of a Turkish city heavily damaged by state security forces,” according to PEN America.

On Friday, reports surfaced that Banksy has also tagged a few buildings in Brooklyn; reporter and occasional Curbed contributor Bucky Turco noted that one of the pieces was close to being painted over.

• ODA New York will design a 13-story condo on West 14th Street [Curbed]