The elusive street artist Banksy has officially claimed a new piece of graffiti in London, sending art enthusiasts on a race to see it before it potentially disappears. The artwork, depicting two children lying on the ground with one pointing skywards, appeared on a building in Queen's Mews, Bayswater.
London's Fleeting Gallery of Banksy Works
Banksy confirmed his authorship of the Bayswater artwork via an Instagram post on Monday 22 December 2025. An identical mural also appeared near the Centre Point tower just days earlier. This marks the first confirmed Banksy since September 2025, when his piece on the Royal Courts of Justice, showing a protester attacked by a judge, made headlines.
London hosts several of his works, though their existence is often precarious. In Chelsea, two elephant silhouettes reach trunk-to-trunk from a house wall, a piece shared by the artist in August 2024. Walthamstow's Bonners Fish Bar features pelicans stealing fish from its sign, while a Charlton artwork of a rhino on a car was defaced within hours in the same month.
Other notable London sites include:
- Finsbury Park: A March 2024 tree mural, quickly vandalised and later protected.
- Shoreditch: The protected Designated Graffiti Area with the 'Rocket Dog' from 2003.
- Marble Arch: A 2019 Extinction Rebellion-themed piece now behind a frame.
- Stoke Newington & Poplar: Older, partially intact works commenting on royalty and media scandals.
From Bristol to the World: A Global Trail
Banksy's career began in Bristol, where key works remain. The famous Well Hung Lover on Frogmore Street, though repeatedly defaced, is still visible. The 2014 Girl with a Pierced Eardrum on Spike Island cleverly uses a security alarm as an earring.
Beyond the UK, his art spans continents, often carrying potent messages. In Paris, a 2018 piece of a masked horseman with the caption "LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, CABLE TV" critiques refugee policy. In Ukraine, seven powerful 2022 murals in places like Kyiv and Borodyanka show solidarity amidst war, with some relocated for preservation.
Fans can also seek out remnants in Los Angeles, where a girl swings from a parking sign, and in New York, where Hammer Boy survives from the artist's 2013 residency. A 2019 Birmingham piece on homelessness, later vandalised and shielded, highlighted public compassion.
The Race Against Time for Street Art
The appearance of a new Banksy is always an event, precisely because his public works are so vulnerable. As seen repeatedly, vandalism, removal, or auction by building owners can make murals vanish swiftly. Institutions like the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem or past exhibitions like Dismaland offer more permanent displays, but the thrill lies in finding the original, often fleeting, street pieces.
For now, the focus is on Queen's Mews. As with the tree in Finsbury Park or the rhino in Charlton, the clock is ticking for this latest addition to Banksy's unpredictable and provocative open-air gallery.
