He did not write a caption for any of the Instagram posts, which has fuelled speculation online about their meaning, although the primates have been associated with the Japanese proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.
In December last year, another Banksy piece in Peckham was stolen shortly after being unveiled.The installation – three aircraft resembling military drones on a stop sign – was removed by a man with bolt cutters.
The four new works came after a migrant boat created by Banksy, which was crowd surfed at Glastonbury Festival in June, during performances by Idles, the Bristol indie punk band, and Little Simz, the rapper.
It was described by then-home secretary James Cleverly as “trivialising” small boats crossings and “vile”, but the artist responded saying his reaction was a “a bit over the top”.
In March, Banksy created a tree mural in north London, which saw a tree being cut back with green paint sprayed behind it to give the impression of foliage.