The new mural by the anonymous street artist Banksy appeared at two different locations in London. The stencil-style artwork, depicting two children looking up at the sky, was spotted in the Bayswater neighborhood of West London and near the Centre Point building in the city center.
Banksy confirmed authorship of the Bayswater piece by sharing images of the work—painted on a garage wall in Queen’s Mews—on his Instagram account. The identical image that emerged around Centre Point, however, has not yet been officially claimed by the artist. According to the BBC, it is nevertheless believed that this second mural was also created by Banksy.
The artwork portrays two children lying on their backs, dressed in thick winter coats, hats, and rain boots. While one child points a finger toward the sky, the other lies still. Photographs shared by Banksy show that the Bayswater mural is located on a garage wall in Queen’s Mews, in a spot surrounded by rubbish. A similar interpretation was offered by Jason Tomkins, a close observer of Banksy’s work. Speaking to the BBC, Tomkins said the piece clearly references homelessness. He also noted that one of the child figures may be the same as the one featured in Banksy’s 2018 work in Port Talbot, Wales, depicting a child trying to catch snowflakes on their tongue. Tomkins pointed out that Banksy’s reuse of the same child figure is striking, as the artist has rarely repeated figures in his previous works.
Banksy expert Jasper Tordoff commented that the visual language of the mural strongly connects with the artist’s earlier works. According to Tordoff, the outstretched arm of the child figure bears a clear visual resemblance to one of Banksy’s most iconic pieces, Girl with a Balloon. He also emphasized that the mural’s appearance during the Christmas season should not be overlooked, noting that the star-like gesture pointing toward the sky carries religious and cultural connotations.
In recent months, Banksy has produced a series of new works across London. In September, a mural that appeared on the Royal Courts of Justice building was quickly covered up and linked to protests and debates around freedom of expression in the capital. Earlier in the summer, the artist had drawn attention with a more playful series featuring animal figures that appeared in various parts of the city.
Centre Point Emphasis and the Homelessness Debate
Artist Daniel Lloyd Morgan told the BBC that he did not believe the location of the Centre Point mural was coincidental. According to Morgan, the work specifically highlights the issue of child homelessness. Although the Centre Point building was constructed as an office block in the 1960s, it stood empty for many years and became a symbol of housing rights protests in London during the 1970s. Today, the building houses luxury apartments aimed at high-income residents.
Drawing attention to the deepening inequalities in the city during the holiday season, Morgan also found it significant that people often pass by the mural without stopping. In his view, the way the artwork is overlooked amid the flow of the crowd directly mirrors how homeless children are frequently rendered invisible in urban life.
