Home / Arts and Entertainment / Santa on Bench: Homelessness Art Appears Next to Banksy
Santa on Bench: Homelessness Art Appears Next to Banksy
23 Dec
Summary
- A new sculpture depicting Santa on a bench appeared last Wednesday.
- The artwork highlights the rise in homelessness during winter.
- Volunteers collected donations for a local homeless charity.
A thought-provoking public artwork has recently appeared in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, situated near a well-known Banksy mural. This new sculpture, created by artist Dion Kitson, was unveiled last Wednesday without prior announcement. Its purpose is to draw attention to the increasing issue of homelessness during the winter season and to encourage support for SIFA Fireside, a local charity dedicated to helping those in need.
The sculpture itself presents a poignant image of Santa Claus lying on a bench, deliberately echoing the pose of the figure in Banksy's famous 2019 artwork, 'God bless Birmingham.' This visual connection aims to leverage the existing public interest generated by Banksy's work to amplify the message about homelessness.
During the initial two days the artwork was on display, a notable effort was made to gather support. Volunteers acted as temporary security staff, engaging with visitors and collecting donations directly from the public. These contributions are intended to benefit SIFA Fireside, a charity working on the front lines to assist homeless individuals through the challenging winter period.
