After two days of speculation, Banksy confirmed the murals on his Instagram on Monday afternoon. The artwork depicts two children lying flat on the cold pavement, wearing thick coats, winter boots and caps. One of them is pointing upwards, maybe at the North Star?
It follows Banksy’s long tradition of Season’s Greetings; “The boy with the sledge” from Port Talbot in 2018, “Homeless Ryan” from Birmingham in 2019, etc.
The same motive has been stencilled at two locations: One in front of the Centre Point Tower in Central London and another identical on top of a row of garages in Queen’s Mews in West London.
The first one was spotted on Saturday, 20 December, in front of the Centre Point Tower on New Oxford Street. Photo: BBC
The second one, on Queen’s Mews, a few blocks north of Hyde Park, was confirmed by http://www.banksy.co.uk on Monday, 22 December. Photo: @banksy
The placement at the Centre Point Tower has particular significance. As reported by the BBC on 22 December:
“Speaking about the Centre Point mural, artist Daniel Lloyd-Morgan told the BBC said he believed the location was chosen to make a point about child homelessness.
“Everybody is having a good time but there are a lot of children who are not having a good time at Christmas,” he said.
Mr Lloyd-Morgan said that people walking past the artwork were “ignoring it”, adding: “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.”
“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 believed it was a “clear statement on homelessness”.
The Centre Point tower, at 101-103 New Oxford Street, has been a historic focal point for housing protests. Originally built as an office block in 1963, the Centre Point tower next to Tottenham Court Road underground station, remained unoccupied for over a decade, angering social justice campaigners.
The homelessness charity Centrepoint was named as a response to the building by founder Rev Ken Leech, who described the tower as “an affront to the homeless”. The block has since been converted into multimillion-pound luxury flats.
Banksy has not commented on the relevance of the location for either of the new works.“
Source BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62d16q93x4o
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