according to Associated Press, Two years after officials first sparked debate.
Title Immigration childrenthis piece shows a child holding a life jacket with a pink smoke flare. It appeared at the Palazzo San Pantalon during the 2019 Venice Biennale and was later claimed by Banksy as an unofficial tourist attraction along Rio di San Pantalon.
By 2023, water damage and salt exposure have begun to erode the murals, prompting the Italian Ministry of Culture to propose a restoration and attracting criticism from artists, activists and even some art historians. “Banks is not a fool,” street artist Evilin told EURONEWS then. “He fully realized that his water creation was not something to endure. Restoring it went against the grain.” Others called for consultation with artists or local communities before intervention, believing that the decline of the work was part of its implication.
Those warnings didn’t attract attention. On Wednesday night, a conservation team led by Federico Borgogni demolished part of the mural. The project was funded by Banca IFIS, a Venetian bank that promotes arts and culture, which said it consulted people “close” to Banksy but did not confirm direct permission. Banks plan to showcase the work in a free cultural event after the recovery, although no dates or fees are disclosed.
Although not eligible for state protection (usually only representing artworks over 70 years old), the murals received special attention after the mayor of Venice and the president of the Veneto region lobbying. Vittorio Sgarbi, deputy minister of the Ministry of Culture, received praise for obtaining funding in 2023, said at the time: “We are not interested in whether the author is still alive, whether he has not given us consent… Protection is my job [contemporary art]. ”
regardless Immigration children Need protection, or the work has been done by slowly disappearing, but it has not been resolved.
