Banksy unveils powerful new Christmas mural in new video – watch
The famed street artist makes a potent statement about homelessness in the new Birmingham work
Mysterious street artist Banksy has unveiled another new work, the latest with an irony-laden holiday theme.
The large mural appeared this week in Birmingham, England, and features two reindeer seeming to lift a park bench off the pavement.
Banksy unveiled the mural in an Instagram video that features a homeless man lying down on the bench to sleep as people walk and drive past. I'll Be Home For Christmas can be heard playing in the background.
But the message isn't all dark. "God bless Birmingham," writes Banksy in the Instagram post. "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."
The mural is located in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, which is known for its concentration of jewellery shops.
So far the video has more than three million views. The mural has since been covered with protective plastic, after a vandal dobbed red noses on the reindeer.