Maltese street artist spotlights Palestinian children in London mural
It features 30 to 40 teddy bears, each with a gunshot wound to the head and blood dripping onto the pavement below
Renowned Maltese street artist James Micallef Grimaud has returned to his powerful teddy bear motif in a bold new mural in London, using bullet-riddled toys as haunting symbols of the ongoing suffering of children in war-torn Gaza.
The new work, titled Loss of Innocence, was painted at the entrance of the Leake Street Tunnel, better known as the Banksy Tunnel, near Waterloo Station. The 300-metre-long tunnel, once a shelter for the homeless, has since become a mecca for street artists from around the world, thanks to a seminal work by Banksy.
The 15-metre-long mural features between 30 and 40 teddy bears, each with a gunshot wound to the head and blood dripping onto the pavement below. Above them loom drones, while in the background, two figures wearing keffiyehs and holding hands, stand beside a Palestinian flag.
This is not the first time Micallef Grimaud has used the teddy bear as a motif. Similar murals under the same title have appeared in Sliema and London in recent years, reflecting his continued engagement with themes of conflict and childhood trauma.
The teddy bear represents the loss of innocence, in this case of Palestinian children… stuck to live in a nightmare- Maltese street artist James Micallef Grimaud
Speaking to Times of Malta, Micallef Grimaud, known as Twitch, described the emotional impact the mural had even as he was painting it. “When I was painting, these kids came up to me and started saying how cute the teddy bears were. I hadn’t yet painted the shots to the heads yet and thought, they won’t be that cute for so long.”
He explained, “The teddy bear represents the loss of innocence, in this case of Palestinian children. Young children stuck to live in a nightmare.”
While this mural focuses on Palestine, the artist has addressed other global conflicts, including those in Ukraine and Syria.
“I was shocked and surprised with the positive feedback I got when making it, and after, someone even bought me lunch,” he said.
However, he also expressed sadness over attitudes in Malta.
“What hurts in Malta is that sometimes when I go for coffee, I hear people even leaving church discussing the conflict and saying they have it coming.
“They are just children, and all they want to do is play.”