On December 22, 2025, the world-renowned anonymous street artist Banksy unveiled a new mural in Queen's Mews, Bayswater, west London, capturing the attention of art enthusiasts worldwide. The artwork depicts two children wearing winter hats and Wellington boots lying on the ground, with one pointing upward to the sky. Banksy authenticated the piece by posting two photographs on his official Instagram account.

It is a single-colour black stencil on a wall above a garage. In the photographs Banksy posted, an overflowing skip sits in the alley below and the paintwork around the figures is peeling and sooty. From certain angles the child's finger lines up with the red lamp at the top of a crane, which readers took variously as the Star of Bethlehem or a nod to the light on a Christmas tree.

Twin Artworks Appear Simultaneously

An identical mural appeared around the same time beneath the Centre Point building near Tottenham Court Road in central London. Reports disagreed at the time on which came first, but later records place Centre Point earlier; an archive that tracks Banksy's surviving London works describes the Bayswater piece as an identical companion to the earlier Centre Point mural. What is certain is that Banksy claimed only the Bayswater piece on his own account and has said nothing about the other.

This dual appearance of seemingly "twin" works has sparked widespread speculation on social media. Some interpret the placement of identical artworks in two locations as a deliberate attempt to draw attention to the presence of children in urban spaces and highlight what society overlooks.

Interpreting the Embedded Message

Banksy's works are renowned for addressing social issues and political messages. Regarding this latest piece, artist Daniel Lloyd-Morgan told the BBC that the location was likely chosen to highlight child homelessness.

"Everybody is having a good time at Christmas, but there are a lot of children who are not having a good time," Lloyd-Morgan observed. He further noted how people in the busy area were "ignoring" the artwork, walking past without stopping. "They walk past homeless people and they don't see them lying on the street," he commented, suggesting the artwork's placement itself serves as a social commentary.

The Centre Point building carries its own history. Completed in 1963 as an office block, it stood empty for years and became a focal point for housing protests in the 1970s. The youth homelessness charity Centrepoint takes its name from the tower. The building now holds luxury flats.

Contrast with Recent Works

The contrast with Banksy's most recent work is sharp. On September 8, 2025, a mural appeared on the exterior wall of the Queen's Building at the Royal Courts of Justice, on Carey Street: a protester on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge in wig and gown brings down a gavel. Many read it as a comment on the arrests of people supporting Palestine Action. It was covered the same day with black sheeting and metal barriers, security guards were posted, and removal work followed. The court service said the wall had to be cleared to preserve the listed building's historical character.

In August 2024, Banksy also garnered significant attention with a nine-day series featuring animal motifs across London, including goats, elephants, monkeys, pelicans, cats, and piranhas appearing throughout the city.

Set against those, the Bayswater mural carries no explicit political message. Reuters noted the same thing: this one does not appear to make an overt political point.

Protection and Future of the Artwork

Banksy's works constantly face risks of theft and vandalism due to their high value. Past incidents include artworks being stolen within hours of unveiling or defaced with graffiti. During the 2024 animal series, a wolf mural was brazenly stolen by three individuals in broad daylight, while a cat piece was preemptively removed by contractors to prevent theft.

Crowds came to photograph the Bayswater mural within hours of its reveal.

Update: The Bayswater mural was boarded over not long after it appeared. According to trackers of Banksy's surviving London works, as of July 2026 the wall itself is still there, but the piece cannot be seen as intended. It escaped destruction and removal, and lost the thing that made it a street work: the chance of coming across it by accident.

Another piece took the opposite route. The piranhas painted on a City of London police box at Ludgate Hill during the 2024 animal series went into storage and are due to go on permanent display at the London Museum's new Smithfield site, opening November 28, 2026. Boarded over on the street, or accessioned and shown indoors: either way, work made on the assumption of being outdoors ends up somewhere other than where it started (as of September 2026).

What Banksy's Art Reveals

Since beginning his career in Bristol, Banksy has left works worldwide that sharply critique social contradictions and injustices. His pieces address contemporary issues including war, capitalism, surveillance society, human rights, and environmental concerns.

This one may point at what sits behind the glittering holiday season. Children looking up at the sky: hope, or longing for something out of reach. The reading is left to whoever is standing there. Among the Instagram comments, more than one person reached for Oscar Wilde on gutters and stars.

Street art works because it sits in the street rather than on a gallery wall, giving passersby the chance to stop. Board it over and that premise wobbles.

Banksy's Popularity in Japan

Banksy has a substantial following in Japan. A stencil of a rat found in Tokyo and widely believed to be his drew considerable public attention.

Japanese art enthusiasts particularly appreciate Banksy's socially critical stance and his unique approach of maintaining anonymity while wielding global influence.

What opinions exist about street art and graffiti in public spaces in your country? How do you feel about artwork that raises social issues like child homelessness during the Christmas season? Please share your country's perspective and thoughts on these matters.