Banksy has confirmed the new mural that mysteriously appeared yesterday in Port Talbot, Wales, is indeed his work.
The new artwork comments on the town’s steel industrial heritage, and that Port Talbot is listed as the most polluted area in the UK, according to a new report by World Health Organisation (WHO).
The mural can be found on the side of a domestic garage, in between the blast furnace of the steel works and the M4. On one side we can see a child with his sledge and embracing the snow flakes as they fall from the sky.
On the other side of the wall there are burning wooden crates, spilling out smoke and ash that is mimicking the snow the boy is actually playing in.
In July this year black dust from the furnaces covered houses, cars and pets in Port Talbot, and was listed as the most polluted area in the UK, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), in May. The unsafe levels of air pollution, are nearly double the WHO recommended limit. The timing of the mural also came as Severn Bridge tolls went down, meaning more traffic will go through the town.
Banksy confirmed the mural was his today when he used his verified Instagram account to announce: “Season’s greetings” – with a video of the artwork in Port Talbot.
The video finishes with emphasises of the smoky steel furnaces.