Painted on the wall of an abandoned Venetian palace, ‘The Migrant Child’, has become a tourist attraction in the City of Canals. However, due to humidity and salt, the artwork depicting a child wearing a life jacket and holding a torch is slowly fading away.
Serving as a commentary on the global refugee crisis but also raising questions about the transient nature of art, this work is also at the centre of an increasingly bitter battle over its restoration.
In a bid to save it, the owner of the building requested the Sopraintendenza dei Beni Culturali (Superintendence of Cultural Heritage) to intervene but the body responsible for the preservation of cultural heritage said it wasn’t qualified to deal with such a recent piece.
‘Surface of sacrifice’
The Rio Novo neighbourhood, where the stencil is located, is one of the busiest in the city, connecting the railway station’ to the Grand Canal.
The passage of motorboats causes what the Venetians call “moto ondoso,” waves that contribute to the erosion of the lagoon.
Two opposing ends of street art
The proposal by Italy’s Undersecretary for Culture has also been dismissed by local artists. “Banksy was no fool; he was fully aware that his waterside creation wasn’t meant to endure.
Restoring it goes against the grain,” said Evyrein, an artist, known for stenciled characters reminiscent of Banksy’s style. He added: “I’ve experienced having one of my own pieces restored with the best intentions, and despite the heartfelt gesture, the end result was less than desirable. If I were ever asked to alter a fellow artist’s work, I would decline unless I had their explicit consent.”