A new statue attributed to Banksy appeared overnight in Waterloo Place, central London, this week. The artwork shows a suited man carrying a wind-blown flag that blinds him as he walks off the edge of a tall pedestal. The artist's signature is scrawled along the base of the plinth, and a video posted to Banksy's Instagram account on Thursday appears to confirm his involvement, showing the statue's installation intercut with London landmarks such as Big Ben, a statue of Winston Churchill, a black cab, and a guardsman soldier.
What the statue shows
The statue is made of fiberglass, according to London art dealer Philip Mould, whose gallery is nearby. It shares a similar height and finish to the other statues in Waterloo Place, which include monuments to King Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, the Crimean War Memorial, and several military figures, dukes, and lords. Mould commented in an Instagram video that the proportions are "perfectly right for the space" and that he appreciates art that is "controversial" and "stimulating."
Public and official response
Authorities placed safety barriers around the statue on Thursday as crowds of onlookers gathered. As of May 1, the installation remains standing. Reuters reports that London authorities do not plan to remove it. A representative from the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the New York Times that the mayor is "hopeful that his latest piece can be preserved for Londoners and visitors to enjoy."
Context and recent works
Statues are a relatively rare medium for Banksy, who is best known for murals such as the Girl with Balloon series, which debuted in London in 2002. In 2004, he installed The Drinker, a satire of Rodin's The Thinker, depicting a man in a similar pose but wearing a traffic cone on his head.
The new statue follows a run of recent public art installations. Days before Christmas in 2025, Banksy unveiled two identical black-and-white murals of two children lying on their backs, interpreted as a statement on child homelessness. In September 2025, he painted a mural on the Royal Courts of Justice depicting a judge bludgeoning a protester with a gavel; authorities swiftly destroyed it.
Given the often limited public lifespan of many of Banksy's past works, some fans are not taking chances. Ollie Isaac, a 23-year-old student observing the statue, told BBC News: "With Banksy, it's a limited time event because it's public art—you don't know how long it's going to be up."
Bottom line
The statue remains in