Banksy Strikes Back At Official’s Criticism Over Immigrant Boat Artwork
Image via Louise Michel Crew
Banksy has fired back at criticism aimed at his recent Glastonbury Festival artwork featuring an inflatable orange life raft that represented migrants attempting dangerous sea crossings.
The piece materialized during a performance by the Bristol rock band Idles, catching both the audience and the band members off guard. Little Simz’s subsequent performance on the Pyramid Stage saw the inflatable boat reappear.
Home Secretary James Cleverly labelled the artwork “vile” and “unacceptable,” accusing it of trivializing a deadly situation. However, Banksy took to his preferred platform of social media (the artist’s identity remains unknown, so their social media presence is managed anonymously) to clarify the stunt’s message.
In an Instagram post, Banksy pointed the focus towards the real-life MV Louise Michel, a search and rescue vessel funded by the artist himself. Notably, the boat had just rescued 17 unaccompanied children from the central Mediterranean Sea at the time of Banksy’s response.
The Italian authorities, however, had detained the vessel, a move Banksy deemed “vile and unacceptable.”
“The Home Secretary called my Glastonbury boat ‘vile and unacceptable,’ which seemed a bit over the top,” Banksy commented. “The real boat I fund, the MV Louise Michel, rescued 17 unaccompanied children from the central Med on Monday night. As punishment, the Italian authorities have detained it—which seems vile and unacceptable to me.”
View this post on Instagram
[via ARTnews and The Guardian, cover image via Louise Michel Crew]
