Banksy Just Unveiled a Poignant New Mural And Video About the UK’s Homelessness Crisis Ahead of the General Election

The art world’s resident
mischief-maker is at it again. In a video posted on Instagram just this
morning, the mega-popular graffiti artist Banksy shared a short
clip featuring his newest outdoor wall work located in Birmingham,
United Kingdom.

First appearing today on Vyse
Street in the English city’s jewelry district, Banksy’s latest
installation is paired with the video; together they highlight the
fact that homelessness has reached record highs in the
UK.

Executed on an otherwise
nondescript brick wall in the artist’s signature black-and-white
palette, the mural portrays two of Santa’s magical reindeer
ascending into the air. In lieu of an elaborate sleigh filled with
toys, the animals appear to be “tied” to a nearby public bench,
implying that the fantastical pair has essentially commandeered the
bench (and anyone sleeping or sitting on it) for flight into the
winter night.

Banksy’s identity as a political
activist has long impacted his artistic oeuvre. (For instance, in
2017, he offered free prints to the citizens of his hometown of
Bristol in exchange for their vote against Conservative party
candidates in the election. The promotion, however, was quickly nixed by
authorities.)

This newest campaign surrounding
the issue of ubiquitous homelessness in his native country is
particularly acute; released just days before the country’s
December 12 general election, the installation is made even more
poignant when considered in tandem with the related
video.

The short film, uploaded to the
artist’s official Instagram account, is set to a somber rendition
of the classic holiday tune “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and
focuses on a presumably homeless man as he chooses where to rest
his head for the night. (The video’s caption only vaguely
identifies him as “Ryan.”)

The audience watches as the man
rests his bones and belongings on the very bench that is adjacent
to Banksy’s reindeer mural, producing the illusion that the
enchanted creatures are whisking him away with them on their
journey into the starry December sky.

“God bless Birmingham,” the post’s caption
reads. “In the 20 minutes we filmed Ryan on this bench, passers-by
gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter—without him
ever asking for anything.”

An analysis released last month
by Shelter, a charity that campaigns to end homelessness in England
and Scotland, reported that at least 320,000 people are currently
homeless in the UK. Birmingham, the city Banksy chose as the site
for his latest project, reports particularly severe figures, with 1
in 73 people living without a place to call home.

The post Banksy Just Unveiled a Poignant New Mural And Video
About the UK’s Homelessness Crisis Ahead of the General
Election appeared first on artnet News.