In Venice, one of Banksy’s most renowned street art works — the mural “The Migrant Child” — has been unveiled following restoration. The piece, which originally appeared during the 2019 Venice Biennale, has now been presented to the public in its renewed form for the 61st edition of the event, Venice Biennale.

The mural is located on the façade of Palazzo San Pantalon and depicts a child wearing a life jacket, holding a distress flare. This work has become one of the artist’s most iconic visual statements addressing the global migration crisis, created by Banksy.

 

Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram

 

Публикация от 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐳𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐞̀ 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 (@venezia_non_e_disneyland)

Over time, the artwork suffered significant deterioration due to humidity and weather conditions. Restorers report that approximately one third of the image had been lost. As a result, the mural was removed last year and sent for conservation. The restoration was financed by the banking group Banca Ifis.

Banksy’s ‘Migrant Child’ mural depicting a refugee child in a life jacket raising a pink distress flare above Venice’s canal waters was unveiled after an extensive restoration aimed at saving the artwork from deterioration caused by humidity and flooding pic.twitter.com/3LCQtjG3BA

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 8, 2026

The restored piece was first presented near the Arsenale — one of the key venues of the Venice Biennale — at Arsenale. It is now set to be displayed in various locations across the city. Whether the mural will eventually return to its original site on the façade of Palazzo San Pantalon remains undecided.

Photo: Instagram @banksy

British street artist Banksy has unveiled two identical works in London. The first graffiti appeared in the Bayswater area, while the second was created in the city center, close to the Centre Point high-rise building.

The murals depict two children in winter clothing lying on the ground. One of them gestures upward, pointing toward the sky. The location of the second work was deliberately chosen: Centre Point has long been associated with protests against housing shortages, and a homeless charity bears its name.

According to experts, Banksy’s new piece draws attention to the issue of child homelessness.

«Many children are denied the joy of Christmas», noted artist Daniel Lloyd-Morgan. «It is also symbolic that passersby often fail to stop and look at the mural, just as they walk past homeless people lying on the streets».

Banksy enthusiast Jason Tomkins described the work as «a clear statement on homelessness». He also suggested that the mural may depict the same boy seen in Banksy’s 2018 piece in Port Talbot, which shows a child catching snowflakes on his tongue.

By way of reminder, in September Banksy painted a judge on the façade of the Royal Courts of Justice. The graffiti was later painted over, and London police launched an investigation, classifying the act as potential «criminal damage».

Photo: Instagram @banksy