A new public sculpture by Banksy has emerged in central London, inserting a pointed political statement into one of the city’s most historically charged civic settings. Installed in St James’s, on Waterloo Place, the work stands among imperial monuments and military memorials, immediately entering into dialogue with the symbolism that surrounds it. Yet rather than celebrating triumph, nationhood, or heroic certainty, Banksy’s intervention offers a far more unsettling image of political conviction.

While cities like New York, Paris, Berlin, London, and Barcelona are often credited with shaping the global graffiti movement, Europe’s street art landscape extends far beyond its most obvious capitals. Across the continent, a number of cities have transformed their walls, underpasses, facades, and forgotten corners into living archives of urban creativity.

This autumn, the Paris art calendar will welcome a new addition with the launch of Spera, an urban and contemporary art fair set to debut in Montrouge from October 2 to 5, 2025. Marking its inaugural edition, the event aims to establish itself as a fresh platform within the region’s growing ecosystem of urban art fairs, while offering a format that places equal emphasis on exhibition, accessibility, and direct engagement between artists, galleries, collectors, and wider audiences.

Street art is far from a single visual language. What began as an umbrella term for unauthorized artistic interventions in public space has evolved into a remarkably diverse ecosystem of techniques, materials, and creative strategies.