Banksy statue of suited man blinded by flag appears overnight in central London

A statue attributed to Banksy went up overnight in Waterloo Place, London, depicting a suited man carrying a wind-blown flag that obscures his vision as he steps off the edge of a tall plinth. The artist’s signature appears on the base, and his Instagram account posted footage of the installation cut with London landmarks, signaling apparent authorship. The piece sits among traditional monuments to military figures and Victorian-era notables, mirroring their height and finish — reportedly fiberglass.

London authorities placed safety barriers around the work but say they do not plan to remove it, and the mayor’s office has expressed hope it can be preserved. The installation extends a recent run of public works from Banksy, including 2025 murals on child homelessness and a destroyed Royal Courts of Justice piece showing a judge attacking a protester. The statue arrives roughly two months after a Reuters investigation attempted to unmask the artist’s identity, which he declined to confirm or deny.

Statues remain unusual in Banksy’s catalog, which is dominated by murals like the Girl with Balloon series. The closest precedent is 2004’s The Drinker, a Rodin parody. The new work’s commentary — a powerful figure literally blinded by the flag he carries, walking off a cliff — fits the artist’s pattern of pointed political symbolism placed in conversation with the establishment iconography around it.