New Banksy in London
- Delphine & Romain Class
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Two Children Under the Stars: Banksy’s Latest Work in London
It was in a quiet alleyway in the Bayswater district, in West London, that passers-by discovered, on December 22, 2025, Banksy’s latest work. Simply titled Two Children Under the Stars, the mural — authenticated by the artist on his Instagram account — measures about three meters wide. It depicts two children lying side by side, bundled up in winter clothes. The boy, hands crossed behind his head, gazes peacefully at the sky, while the girl beside him points toward an invisible constellation beyond the wall. Painted in the street artist’s signature style — black and white stencil, clean lines, absence of color — the scene stands out for its rare emotional depth: a mix of fragility, innocence, and quiet despair. Around them, the wall bears the marks of time: cracks, drips, faded graffiti. This raw, intentionally rough setting heightens the contrast between the tenderness of the children’s gesture and the harshness of their surroundings.
From the moment it was revealed, the artwork sparked widespread debate in the press and on social media. Many saw in it a poignant allegory of the housing and homelessness crisis affecting countless children across the United Kingdom. In December, as London lights up for the festive season, Banksy reminds us—without words or slogans—of the reality faced by those who sleep outside, often invisible to a city in celebration.
Other, more optimistic critics have interpreted it as a metaphor for imagination and hope, with the two children finding in the stars a poetic refuge amid hardship. This duality — between misery and beauty, tenderness and protest — is perhaps the very essence of Banksy’s new creation. True to form, the artist offered no direct comment: his Instagram post contained only a simple photo, leaving the public free to interpret its meaning. Barely a few hours after its appearance, the mural was covered with transparent panels — proof that, despite its subversive message, the city recognizes its symbolic and cultural value.
A Controversial Mural: The London Court
A few months before Two Children Under the Stars, Banksy had already made headlines with a particularly bold intervention on the façade of the Royal Courts of Justice — one of the most emblematic symbols of judicial power in the United Kingdom. Created in September 2025, the artwork depicted a judge in traditional robes and wig, his face frozen in anger, brandishing an oversized gavel above a kneeling protester holding a placard stained with red.
Behind this dramatic scene, the message was clear: a denunciation of judicial repression against recent social movements in the UK, particularly the mass arrests of environmental and student activists. True to his trademark approach, Banksy offered no direct explanation, but the choice of location — one of London’s most guarded and symbolically charged buildings — was enough to make his statement resonate.
The artwork, instantly photographed, shared, and discussed around the world, quickly sparked controversy. For some, it represented an act of artistic courage — a way to remind the public that justice is not infallible and that power must always be open to question. For others, it was seen as a needless provocation, even an act of vandalism defacing a listed monument.
A few days later, under pressure from the Ministry of Culture and judicial authorities, the mural was covered in grey paint and then permanently removed. Yet this act, far from erasing its impact, only reinforced its meaning: by destroying the image, the institution unintentionally confirmed the artist’s message about the fragility of freedom of expression. As so often, Banksy had succeeded in turning a wall into a social mirror — and a controversy into collective reflection.
Banksy in Marseille: A Beacon of Hope
A few months earlier, in the spring of 2025, Banksy had left his mark in Marseille. His work, which appeared on a discreet wall in the city’s 7th arrondissement, near the Catalans district, played on a subtle trompe-l’œil effect: the straight shadow of a streetlight was extended by a stencil in the shape of a lighthouse, projecting a beam of light across the façade. Inside this cone of light, Banksy had written, in bold white capital letters: “I want to be what you saw in me.”
Unlike his more overtly political interventions, this piece stood out for its poetic and introspective quality. By incorporating a real element of the street into his composition, the artist dissolved the boundary between reality and imagination — between the city and the dream.
The Marseille artwork was quickly praised for its visual delicacy and universal resonance. In particular, through its written message, many saw it as a metaphor for the human search for recognition — the desire to live up to how others see us. In a city marked by diversity and social contrasts, the message struck a deep chord: it evoked nostalgia, the fragility of identity, and the glimmer of hope that endures even in solitude. Some residents even began leaving flowers beneath the piece, gradually transforming the site into a small artistic and activist shrine.
With this work, Banksy returned to a more emotional and poetic register, proving that he doesn’t need overt provocation to move people deeply. His symbolic lighthouse still quietly illuminates the Marseille façade to this day — a reminder that street art can also be an act of poetic and artistic gentleness within the urban landscape.
Banksy: The Ghost of the Wall
Behind the stencils that have become famous around the world, Banksy remains an enigma. For more than twenty-five years, the British artist has fiercely guarded his anonymity, refusing any public exposure of his identity. His real name remains unknown — the most persistent theories point to Robin Gunningham, an artist born in Bristol in the 1970s, or Robert Del Naja, a member of Massive Attack and an influential graffiti figure from the same city. Yet, ultimately, his true identity matters little: it is precisely this mystery that has helped turn Banksy into a modern myth — a symbol of creative freedom in a world saturated with images and ego.
Banksy began his career in the 1990s within Bristol’s underground scene, influenced by punk, hip-hop, and graffiti culture. He soon abandoned freehand spray painting for stenciling — a faster technique that allowed him to work clandestinely while minimizing the risk of arrest. Through it, he also developed an instantly recognizable aesthetic.
His early works, both ironic and politically charged, appeared on the walls of London, Manchester, and Brighton: revolutionary rats, pacifist soldiers, dreaming children, and grotesque policemen. With these images, he forged a strong visual identity — blending social satire with humanist tenderness — taking aim in turn at war, consumerism, police control, and collective indifference. About twenty of his works were later reproduced and sold as screen prints.
Most Popular Banksy Works
Girl with Balloon (2002): A little girl letting go of a red heart-shaped balloon.
Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower) (2003): A masked protester throws a bouquet of flowers as if it were a Molotov cocktail.
Rude Copper (2002): A British policeman giving the middle finger to the viewer.
Turf War (2003): A caricature of Winston Churchill with a colorful punk mohawk.
Bomb Hugger (Bomb Love) (2003): A young girl tenderly hugging a bomb.
Laugh Now (2003): A row of monkeys holding signs that read, “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge.”
Pulp Fiction Bananas (2004): A parody of Pulp Fiction: Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta replace their guns with bananas.
Toxic Mary (Virgin Mary) (2003): The Virgin Mary feeds baby Jesus with a bottle marked with a toxic symbol.
Choose Your Weapon (2010): A young man in a hoodie holds a stylized dog on a leash inspired by Keith Haring’s graffiti.
Love Rat (2004): A recurring Banksy rat, holding a paintbrush or a dripping red heart.
Flying Copper (2003): A winged policeman with a yellow smiley face instead of a head, wearing a bulletproof vest.
Over the years, Banksy has expanded his reach and conquered the world. His works have appeared in Bethlehem, on the Israeli-Palestinian separation wall; in New York, where he created a series of ephemeral murals in 2013; and in Venice, where he denounced mass tourism. In 2015, he created Dismaland, a dystopian amusement park in Weston-super-Mare, a biting parody of the consumerist dream embodied by Disneyland. In 2018, he shocked the art world by having his work Girl with Balloon self-destruct immediately after its auction sale, since renamed Love is in the Bin. This radical gesture, blending performance and critique of the art market, confirmed his subversive genius.
Yet beyond scandal and mystery, Banksy remains above all an urban poet. His images speak of what walls cannot: injustice, tenderness, fear, love, and rebellion. Where others seek fame, he seeks dialogue. By rejecting museums, he champions art that is accessible, free, and ephemeral — destined to vanish like a cry in the city. Perhaps this is the true face of Banksy: not a man, but an idea — the belief that art can still awaken consciousness without a signature or gilded frame.
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