New Banksy Mural Appears in London

The artist Banksy has confirmed that he is responsible for a new mural that appeared this week in Bayswater, west London.

The mural, painted on a wall above a row of garages on Queen's Mews, shows two children lying on the ground dressed in winter coats, Wellington boots, and beanie hats.

One of the children is pointing upward toward the sky.

The artwork was first spotted on Monday, and Banksy acknowledged the work later that afternoon by sharing an image of it on Instagram. As with previous announcements, no caption or explanation accompanied the image.

According to the BBC, Banksy is likely also responsible for an identical mural that appeared on Friday near the Centre Point tower in central London, close to Tottenham Court Road underground station.

However, Banksy's representatives have confirmed only the Bayswater work as his.

No official comment has been made about the second location or the relationship between the two pieces.

Artists and observers have suggested the murals may reference homelessness, particularly among children.

Daniel Lloyd-Morgan, an artist who spoke to the BBC about the Centre Point mural, said the location seemed to be deliberately chosen.

"Everybody is having a good time, but there are a lot of children who are not having a good time at Christmas," he said.

Lloyd-Morgan added that passers-by appeared largely unmoved by the artwork's presence in a busy part of central London.

"It's a busy area. Quite poignant that people aren't stopping. They walk past homeless people, and they don't see them lying on the street," he said.

"It's kind of like they're stargazing," he said. "It's quite fitting that the kids are pointing up like they're looking at the North Star."

Banksy enthusiast Jason Tomkins said he also viewed the mural as a statement on homelessness, particularly given its placement near Centre Point.

The tower has long been a focal point for housing activism. Built in 1963 as an office building, it remained unoccupied for more than a decade, drawing criticism during a period of housing shortages.

The homelessness charity Centrepoint was named in response to the building by its founder, the Rev. Ken Leech, who described the tower as "an affront to the homeless."

The building has since been converted into high-end residential apartments.

Tomkins also suggested the artwork revisits imagery from Banksy's earlier work.

"In 2018, he painted in Port Talbot, and the little boy is identical to the child that has been painted here," he said. "This is quite unusual for him to use the same little boy again because he has never done that."

Banksy has not commented publicly on the meaning of the new murals or the significance of their locations. His identity remains unknown, and his works are typically interpreted by viewers without official explanation.

The new pieces follow a series of recent Banksy works in London.

In September, a mural depicting a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard watched over by a judge wielding a gavel appeared on the Queen's Building at the Royal Courts of Justice before being removed days later.

The Metropolitan Police said the graffiti artwork was reported to them the same day it appeared.

"On Monday, 8 September, officers received a report of criminal damage to the side of the Royal Courts of Justice. Inquiries continue," the force said in a statement to Sky News at the time.

Banksy later confirmed the artwork was his creation through an Instagram post showing images of the mural before it was covered.

The caption simply read: "Royal Courts Of Justice. London."

HM Courts and Tribunals Service said the work would be removed under regulations protecting historic sites.

In 2024, Banksy created a trail of animal-themed artworks across the capital, featuring images including a goat, elephants, a gorilla, monkeys, piranhas, a rhino, and pelicans.