The elusive street artist Banksy has returned with a new mural on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice in central London. The street art piece shows a judge in a traditional wig and black robe striking a protester lying on the ground, with blood splattered across their placard. Banksy posted a photo of the public artwork on Instagram to confirm its authenticity, captioning it simply: Royal Courts Of Justice. London.

all images via @banksy

artwork Concealed Shortly After Going Public

While Banksy’s mural does not seem to be tied to any particular event or cause, it emerged just two days after a London protest against the ban on Palestine Action led to nearly 900 arrests. The piece by the enigmatic artist has been widely praised on Instagram, with users commenting on its symbolism. ‘I love it! It’s louder than noise!’ one wrote, while another described it as ‘iconic for this time in politics.’ A third added, ‘Perfect depiction of what’s happening. Free Palestine!’

Despite the acclaim, social media photos suggest the mural has already been covered with large plastic sheets and flanked by two metal barriers, making it no longer visible to passersby or Banksy fans eager to see it up close.

the mural shows a judge striking a protester lying on the ground

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Until September 7th, 2025, Venice’s St. Mark’s Square becomes the stage for Dreams in Transit, a large-scale installation dedicated to the stories and aspirations of migrants. Curated by the Art for Action Foundation and inspired by JR’s Inside Out Project, the work transforms the facade of the historic Procuratie with 100 oversized black-and-white portraits. Installed on one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, the project brings the subject of migration into the symbolic center of Venice, confronting passersby with both absence and belonging.

The portraits stem from an eight-month journey across Europe by filmmaker and artist Sarah Makharine, who met with 100 recently arrived migrants, listening to their stories and collecting their dreams. Unlike conventional portraiture, each subject is photographed from behind, gazing outward. This unusual perspective shifts attention away from facial identity toward collective experience, evoking both departure and the horizon of possibility. 

The intervention forms part of After Migration, a wider program launched during the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, which examines the long-term social, cultural, and political dimensions of migration. It also resonates with the work of The Human Safety Net’s For Refugees initiative, which since 2017 has supported over 13,000 refugees across six countries through entrepreneurship and training.

all images by Maco Film – Leonardo Mizar, unless stated otherwise

Migration Narratives at The Human Safety Net home in venice

Beyond the public square, the exhibition extends into The Home of The Human Safety Net, where Dreams in Transit, curated by the Art for Action Foundation, continues until March 15th, 2026. Inside, artists and filmmakers expand on the themes of displacement and identity. Sarah Makharine presents the video Echoes of Dreams, while works by Ange Leccia, Lorraine de Sagazan, Anouk Maugein, and the late Leila Alaoui offer contrasting lenses on migration’s personal and collective narratives. The installations trace how stories of movement and loss intersect with resilience and creativity.

A conference, organized with the International Panel on Social Progress, is also part of the program. Associations, researchers, and experts convene at The Home of The Human Safety Net to explore the enduring consequences of migration. During the Venice Film Festival, the short film Sweet Refuge, directed by Maryam Mir and already the recipient of nine international awards, will be screened, followed by a discussion with producer and curator Anadil Hossain. 

By occupying Venice’s central square and one of its historic facades, Dreams in Transit insists that migration is a subject that shapes the shared public sphere. 

Venice’s St. Mark’s Square becomes the stage for Dreams in Transit

a large-scale installation dedicated to the stories and aspirations of migrants | image by LungoLinea Studio

inspired by JR’s Inside Out Project

the work transforms the facade of the historic Procuratie

100 oversized black-and-white portraits compose the project | image by LungoLinea Studio

installed on one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks

Dreams in Transit brings the subject of migration into the symbolic center of Venice | image by LungoLinea Studio

the portraits stem from an eight-month journey across Europe by Sarah Makharine | image by LungoLinea Studio

each subject is photographed from behind | image by LungoLinea Studio

this perspective shifts attention away from facial identity | image by LungoLinea Studio

migration is a subject that shapes the shared public sphere | image by LungoLinea Studio

project info:

name: Dreams in Transit

curation: Art for Action Foundation | @artforaction_foundation

location: Procuratie, St. Mark’s Square, Venice

dates: installation, September 3rd–7th, 2025 | exhibition until March 15th, 2026

artists: Sarah Makharine | @sarah.makharine, Ange Leccia | @ange_leccia, Lorraine de Sagazan, Anouk Maugein | @anoukmaugein, Leila Alaoui | @leilaalaoui

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As part of the Shanghai Xintiandi Design Festival, MARS Studio, in collaboration with the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) Design School, developed Mirage, an interactive installation located in the lakeside green space of Shanghai Xintiandi. The project was led by designers Ma Ning and Yu Jiashi.

The installation references Cai Guoqiang’s pyrotechnic works, translating the visual language of fireworks into a series of staggered geometric forms. The composition captures the moment of a firework’s bloom, aligning with the festival’s theme, Boundless Playground, through a focus on interactivity and public engagement. Mirage is constructed from gradient nylon rope screens that create continuous, curved contours. The color palette, green, blue, and orange-red, was inspired by Henri Matisse’s La Gerbe and symbolises nature, sky, and flowers respectively. As visitors move around the work, the overlapping ropes produce shifting visual effects, blending colors and altering light perception.

all images by Guangyao Cao unless stated otherwise

Overlapping ropes transform Fireworks into architectural form

The design integrates a sound-responsive lighting system. Vibrations generated by movement and touch activate programmed lighting sequences, creating a link between environmental rhythms and visual output. The lighting is paired with an original composition by Yu Yibin of the XJTLU Design School, synchronising changes in color and brightness with musical patterns.

Through its combination of form, material, and sensory interaction, Mirage functions as a public space intervention that merges visual art, sound design, and participatory experience. The work, developed by the collaborative team between MARS Studio and XJTLU Design School, transforms the ephemeral qualities of fireworks into a lasting installation that responds to its surroundings and audience in real time.

Mirage at the Shanghai Xintiandi Design Festival | image by Nango

created by MARS Studio with XJTLU Design School

fireworks translated into staggered geometric forms

capturing the instant of a firework’s bloom

gradient nylon rope forms continuous curved contours

green for nature, blue for sky, orange-red for flowers

overlapping ropes create shifting visual effects

vibrations trigger programmed light sequences

changing light and color as visitors move

public art merging visual, sound, and interaction

project info:

name: Shanghai Xintiandi Design Festival Mirage
designer: MARS Studio | @mars.office, XJTLU Design School

location: Shanghai, China

design team: Ning Ma, Yu Jess, Tianqi Wang,  Shaohu Yang, Bohan Chen, Guangyao Cao, Yigao Liu

music: Yibin Yu, XJTLU SOFTA

video: Lin Ruefan, Alice Xiao

photography and filming: Guangyao Cao, Nango

drone filming: Design Shanghai

design partner: Bwee Technology

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Penique Productions takes over Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building with the inflatable and translucent installation, MATRIA. The monochromatic pink artwork forms part of the 2025 arts festival Now or Never, which runs between August 21st and 31st. It reimagines the 19th-century building as a living, breathing organism, transforming it into a warm, womb-like environment filled with sounds. The site-specific intervention uses gossamer, floaty balloons that crawl and cling onto the contours of the space, cloaking around it like an ephemeral blanket.

For MATRIA, the Barcelona-based collective draws on the idea of refuge, memory, and care. In fact, the name itself stems from ‘mother’ and ‘motherland.’ These themes run through the artwork inside Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building, as the installation recalls the state and sensation of being inside a mother’s womb. The plastic material gently sways as the wind blows, and the visitors pad around through the intervention with the background music, humming and pulsating, following their every step. Penique Productions, which has once brought their inflatable installation inside the semi-open atrium of Llanterna de L’Auditori in Barcelona, co-created the pink and translucent MATRIA in partnership with Museums Victoria. It is set to remain on-site until August 31st, 2025.

all images courtesy of Penique Productions

Pink Installation in Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building

MATRIA uses one inflatable membrane that covers the interior of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. It measures approximately 150 meters long and 50 meters wide to match the architecture’s dimensions, and the public installation by the collective Penique Productions reaches 60 meters high at the dome peak. 

The inflatable system operates through continuous air pressure, all the while keeping the air circulation systems running throughout operating hours to keep the membrane inflated. The site-specific intervention also uses pink translucent plastic material, with sections connecting through heat-welded seams to create the complete structure. 

MATRIA uses one inflatable membrane that covers the interior of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building

Performances inside Matria during now or never arts festival

The plastic material permits light transmission while providing color filtration. In this case, the pink shade distributes evenly throughout the material, retaining the membrane’s minimal weight to reduce structural load on the building. MATRIA also serves as a performance stage throughout the run of the Now or Never arts festival until August 31st, 2025. Inside the installation. rRoxymore from Berlin performs electronic music from her release Juggling Dualities, which includes synthesizer work and sound design elements.

Alex Zhang Hungtai plays the saxophone, synthesis, and percussion, with improvisation techniques that respond to the acoustic properties of the inflated space. Amber McCartney, a dancer and choreographer from Melbourne, is set to perform leech 2 inside MATRIA, which includes prosthetics, masks, and special effects. She’s presenting alongside Shapednoise, also known as Nino Pedone, a producer and sound designer from Sicily. Then, there’s Shapednoise, who creates electronic music and sound design during Amber McCartney’s performance. Penique Productions’s MATRIA inside Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building forms part of the 2025 arts festival, Now or Never.

the material measures approximately 150 meters long and 50 meters wide to match the space’s dimensions

the public installation by the collective Penique Productions reaches 60 meters high at the dome peak

the inflatable system operates through continuous air pressure

the site-specific intervention also uses pink translucent plastic material with multiple connected sections

the plastic material permits light transmission while providing color filtration

the pink shade distributes evenly throughout the material

MATRIA also serves as a performance stage throughout the run of the Now or Never arts festival

the public art remains on-site until August 31st, 2025

project info:

name: MATRIA

collective: Penique Productions | @peniqueproductions

festival: Now or Never | @nowornever.melb

location: Royal Exhibition Building

address: 9 Nicholson St, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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A contemporary spire rises in Caen, France, as multidisciplinary design Studio 5•5 creates a bold red signal to celebrate the city’s millennium and the future of its transforming port and peninsula. The public installation, titled the 101st spire of Caen, was created by Vincent Baranger and Caen native Anthony Lebossé at the invitation of artistic director Mathias Courtet. Conceived as a permanent sculpture, the monument pays tribute to the city’s architectural heritage — a skyline shaped by the spires of its historic abbeys and churches. By playing on the fable of the hundred spires, it inserts itself into this rich history while extending the city’s story, serving as a symbolic anchor for the port and peninsula. 

Studio 5•5 risis 101st spire to celebrate Caen’s millenium | all images courtesy of Studio 5•5

a filled void in caen’s architectural heritage

The expression ‘city of a hundred spires’ is more of a poetic observation than a precise count, a phrase echoed in local chants and songs. While the city’s core was rich with these vertical landmarks, the newly developed port and peninsula distinctly lacked one. This was recognized by Studio 5•5’s design team, addressing this void with the 101st spire. The project is a testament to local collaboration, with Terreal serving as both a manufacturing partner and a key sponsor, bringing together the industrial expertise of the factory and the traditional skills of the Poterie de Bavent, which handcrafted the signature finish.

the sculpture stands at the Port of Caen, embracing the city’s architectural heritage

101st spire transforms the port into a central public square

Standing at the prow of the peninsula, the red spire is a dramatic maritime landmark. Its unique, intense red color, developed by Terreal from local clay, is reminiscent of a lighthouse or a starboard marker, reinforcing the canal as a crucial maritime gateway and transforming the port into a central public square. This micro-architecture serves as a geographic and symbolic bridge, connecting the historic city center to the emerging urban landscape, and is embraced by the people of Caen as a setting for both small and large gatherings. At night, it becomes a glowing red beacon, pulsing with a gentle rhythm — a heartbeat for the city and its people. The collaborative project was rooted in a local ecosystem of more than forty people, including the training company Metal Academy, the Citeos company, and the City’s departments.

its unique, intense red color was developed by Terreal from local clay

it serves as a geographic and symbolic bridge, connecting the historic city center to the emerging urban landscape

at night, it becomes a glowing red beacon, pulsing with a gentle rhythm

it transforms the port into a central public square

the project is a testament to local collaboration

project info:

name: The 101st spire of Caen
studio: Studio 5•5 | @studio5.5
design team: Anthony Lebossé, Vincent Baranger and Nadine Nielsen
location: Port of Caen, Caen, France

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lisa kostyra | designboom

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Moradavaga’s interactive installation, Netty, is a kind of urban tool for connection and communication, created at the new base of the cultural center Ost West Club in Merano, Italy. Like many other characters by the studio, Netty can be read on multiple levels. Visually, it takes the form of a large, spider-like creature with long black tubular limbs that sprawl across the building’s facade, inviting curious visitors to engage with it.

Those who dare can step inside its open mouth and peer through the installation’s ‘eyes,’ discovering a new way to observe the surrounding landscape. The work’s interactive elements such as its head and legs are reminiscent of an old-fashioned string telephone. Beneath this playful form and on this deeper level, it serves as a metaphor for connection and communication — ideas already embedded in its name — and reflects the importance of dialogue and exchange from multiple perspectives as central to a cultural center.

all images courtesy of Moradavaga

forming a playful urban tool for communication in italy

As is often the case in life with different types of situations, the metaphoric spider initially evokes fear. But upon closer inspection, it reveals its friendly nature. Netty, the black spider with its slender, writhing legs, is a relic from the old ex-Bersaglio building — or perhaps even from the former headquarters of the Ost West Club. ‘Most likely, it hid away in a cardboard box and has now finally emerged from its hiding place, joyfully rappelling down the northeast facade of the building,’ reflects the Moradavaga team.

Visitors can step inside Netty’s oversized mouth, large enough to fit a person, and discover that the spider isn’t something to fear. ‘So often, appearances are deceiving, and there is no cause for alarm,’ the team continues. Like all of Moradavaga’s creatures, this one serves the purpose of connection and communication. The installation includes playful elements reminiscent of a string telephone, encouraging people to engage and explore connections they form with one another and their environment. With its playful nature and interactive elements reminiscent of an old-fashioned string telephone, it becomes a communicative tool for people of all ages.

Netty, Moradavaga’s most recent urban creature, is part of their series of urban communicative devices

a metaphor for connection and communication

the spider rappels down from the roof of the cultural center Ost West Club in Merano

Netty invites passersby of all ages to stop and interact

interactive elements, like the head and feet, are reminiscent of an old-fashioned string telephone

the installation’s interactive elements — its head and feet — are reminiscent of an old-fashioned string telephone

through the eyes of the spider, the perspective of the surroundings changes

Netty reflects the importance of dialogue and exchange from multiple perspectives

the limbs of the spider are in visual dialogue with the context of the historical building

project info:

name: Netty — The Spider on the Wall

designer: Moradavaga | @moradavaga
design team: Manfred Eccli and Pedro Cavaco Leitão

location: Merano, Italy

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Melbourne-based art and technology studio ENESS installs Iwagumi Air Scape, a large inflatable rock garden, in Prahran Square for its Australian premiere following a showing in Singapore. Inspired by the Japanese concept of Iwagumi, which expresses a cultural reverence for natural rock formations, the installation introduces a sculptural landscape that contrasts the city’s urban fabric with a representation of wilderness. By day, the inflatables are textured and shaped to resemble real rocks, surprising visitors with their inflatable nature. At night, the installation is illuminated with vibrant lighting, transforming the space into a glowing, immersive environment.

all images courtesy of Ben Weinstein

inflatable rocks transform melbourne’s public space

The installation by ENESS comprises sixteen air-filled inflatables textured with photographic prints of granite, creating the optical illusion of massive rock formations. Visitors can walk among these oversized forms and explore crevices and narrow passages up to 10 meters long, simulating the experience of traversing a canyon. As daylight fades, Iwagumi Air Scape by the Melbourne-based practice shifts through a vibrant lighting display paired with an interactive soundscape. Sounds of native birds, frogs, crickets, monkeys, bats, and mountain streams are triggered randomly as visitors move through the space, heightening the immersive quality of the installation. Ambient urban noises subtly intrude within the formation, underscoring the dialogue between natural and urban environments.

Iwagumi Air Scape in Prahran Square

A contemporary take on Japanese rock gardens

Artist and ENESS founder Nimrod Weis describes Iwagumi Air Scape as a work that surprises visitors when they realize the rock-like sculptures are in fact inflatable. The installation celebrates the Japanese tradition of closely observing natural compositions — particularly rock formations — that have inspired artforms such as rock gardens and aquascaping. By translating these forms into inflatable structures, ENESS explores the boundary between the virtual and physical, creating artificial objects that reconnect urban audiences with nature. Through its scale and presence, the installation invites contemplation of nature within a public urban setting, encouraging reflection on the relationship between city life and the natural environment.

the installation introduces a sculptural landscape that contrasts the city’s urban fabric

the inflatables are textured and shaped to resemble real rocks

the sixteen air-filled inflatables are textured with photographic prints of granite

visitors are surprised by their inflatable nature

the installation celebrates the Japanese tradition of closely observing natural compositions

visitors can walk among the oversized forms and explore crevices and narrow passages

the installation invites contemplation of nature

the installation is illuminated with vibrant lighting

Iwagumi Air Scape shifts through a vibrant lighting display

the lighting display is paired with an interactive soundscape

project info: 

name: Iwagumi Air Scape
designer: ENESS | @studioeness

location: Prahran Square, Melbourne

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Lucy Sparrow’s latest installation, Bourdon Street Chippy, transforms the Lyndsey Ingram Gallery in London into a fully immersive fish and chip shop rendered entirely in felt. Open through September 14th, 2025, the project continues Sparrow’s exploration of everyday environments through soft sculpture, creating a spatial experience and material presence.

The exhibition occupies the gallery’s rooms with a clear intent to emulate the structure and ambiance of a working chippy. From the banquette seating to the framed portraits on the walls, each element is conceived with a distinct attention to layout and proportion. The familiar counter lends a functional threshold between visitor and vendor, while the seating area encourages visitors to linger, treating the project as both a gallery and social space.

images © Lucy Emms (unless otherwise stated)

lucy sparrow exhibits her command of the material

At the heart of the Bourdon Street Chippy installation is artist Lucy Sparrow’s command of material translation. Over 65,000 hand-crafted felt pieces articulate every surface, container, and consumable object within the chippy. What emerges is a material language that captures the texture of linoleum flooring, the gloss of laminated menus, and the sheen of deep-fried food through stitch and shape. Even the chips, with fifteen distinct cuts in five different tones, are organized with the rigor of typological study.

The spatial layout reflects the hierarchical clarity of a traditional takeaway. Circulation paths are defined by counters, queues, and bench seating, while sightlines are organized around key objects: a felt fryer, hand-sewn condiment dispensers, and signage arranged with unified graphics.

Lucy Sparrow transforms Lyndsey Ingram Gallery into a fully immersive felt fish and chip shop

the interactive bourdon street chippy

Lucy Sparrow herself is present at Bourdon Street Chippy five days a week, reinforcing the installation’s interactivity. Her participation blurs the boundary between artist and vendor, and between object and performance. ‘The familiarity of these spaces disarms the viewer,’ Sparrow explains. ‘It’s a way of getting people to let their guard down.’

The choice of a chippy, as opposed to her previously explored subjects including a supermarket or pharmacy, adds a more intimate layer to the work. ‘My relationship with food has always influenced my art,’ she continues. ‘Over time, I came to understand that my practice had become a way to manage difficult emotions.’ In this sense, Bourdon Street Chippy operates as both a personal artifact and a public setting.

Bourdon Street Chippy recreates a familiar high street space

In bringing a High Street staple into the controlled conditions of a commercial gallery, the installation invites questions about access, nostalgia, and gentrification. The gallery’s polished context contrasts with the working-class origins of the fish and chip shop, yet the installation’s warmth and humor hold space for both critique and affection.

‘Lucy is one of the most important and meaningful artists of her generation,’ says gallerist Lyndsey Ingram. ‘Her work blurs the lines between performance and installation art, all in her distinctive felt language.’ The gallery’s transformation is comprehensive as every surface and volume supports the illusion.

visitors navigate a fabric-rendered takeaway complete with counters banquettes and signage

the installation blends sculpture and performance within a curated spatial framework

over 65,000 felt objects include fifteen chip shapes in five colors | image © Alun Callender

Bourdon Street Chippy explores themes of nostalgia, commerce, and craft

Lucy Sparrow is often present in the gallery, engaging directly with visitors

project info:

name: Bourdon Street Chippy

designer: Lucy Sparrow | @sewyoursoul

location: Lyndsey Ingram Gallery, London, UK

dates: August 1st — September 14th, 2025

photography: © Lucy Emms | @lucy.emms, © Alun Callender

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Installed in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, What We Leave Behind is a temporary bamboo structure developed by Cave Urban for the 2025 Sydney Festival. Created in response to the festival’s theme, Birth, Destiny and What We Leave Behind, the woven installation explores spatial storytelling through material assembly, public interaction, and site-specific design.

The structure is constructed from 500 locally sourced bamboo poles, hand-split into over 2,500 individual strands. These were woven over a ten-day period to form a curved, tunnel-like shell extending 40 metres in length and rising to over seven metres in height. The installation was developed in collaboration with the public, who contributed handwritten messages directly onto 8-metre-long bamboo strips. These inscriptions, totalling 25,000, were integrated into the structure, becoming both surface and narrative elements. Designed to allow full pedestrian passage, the tunnel widens and rises in height as one moves through it. The curvature is calculated to disrupt a direct line of sight, encouraging users to experience the structure as a sequence of changing spatial conditions. The tunnel’s entrance was positioned to frame a view toward the Sydney Opera House, while its arching form echoes that of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, establishing visual and material dialogue with the surrounding context.

all images by Juan Pablo Pinto unless stated otherwise

Community members join Cave Urban in the making of the pavilion

Material selection played a central role in the project’s design logic. Bamboo was chosen for its availability, tensile strength, flexibility, and ease of manual processing. Its curved form enabled the construction of a lightweight yet stable structural shell approximately 5 cm thick. The golden tone of the bamboo visually connects with the adjacent sandstone facade of the MCA, while its woven construction contrasts with the geometric rigidity of the museum’s architecture.

The installation process involved collaboration between Cave Urban’s team and skilled practitioners, as well as untrained participants. The complexity of the structure required a responsive construction method in which community members contributed directly to the making. The site operated as a collective fabrication space, where material preparation and weaving took place simultaneously. This public involvement formed an integral part of the spatial and conceptual outcome. What We Leave Behind functions as a spatial record of participatory engagement, constructed with impermanence in mind. Its formal language and assembly process reflect themes of interconnection, accumulation, and collective authorship within a contemporary urban context.

a 40-metre-long bamboo tunnel installed in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

constructed using over 2,500 hand-split bamboo strands woven over ten days

the installation forms a curved shell that rises more than seven metres in height

the entrance aligns with a framed view toward the Sydney Opera House

bamboo was selected for its tensile strength, flexibility, and availability

designed to allow full pedestrian passage through a widening and rising interior

a 5 cm thick woven shell achieves stability through natural curvature

the tunnel’s curvature disrupts direct sightlines, shaping a layered spatial experience | image by Victor Frankowski

the golden tone of bamboo mirrors the MCA’s sandstone facade

What We Leave Behind documents a shared act of temporary construction

the structure embodies themes of interconnection, impermanence, and spatial narrative

a temporary installation that connects material, memory, and community | image by Chloé Lindsay Daye

developed by Cave Urban for the 2025 Sydney Festival | image by Neil Bennett

each bamboo strip carried messages written by members of the public | image by Chloé Lindsay Daye

tublic participation played a central role in both material preparation and construction | image by Neil Bennett

the collaborative process included both experienced builders and first-time participants

25,000 handwritten public messages were integrated into the bamboo surface | image by Nergal U-Khan

project info:

name: What We Leave Behind
designer: Juan Pablo Pinto
designer: Cave Urban | @caveurban

area: 200 sqm
dimensions: 40m (L) x 7m (W) x 4.5m (H)

location: Museum of Contemporary Art Forecourt, Tallawoladah Lawn, Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia

client: Sydney Festival
lead designer: Juan Pablo Pinto
design team: Nici Long, Jed Long, Mercurio Alvarado, Maeve Corke Butters, Erin Zikos, May Baker, Hamish Shorrocks, Taya Solomon, Honey Long, Prue Stent
engineer: Event Engineering
steel tie-down: Eveleigh Works

harvesting volunteers: Alexia Dermatis, Alfredo Santos Ramírez, Alicia Mardones, Angela Ha, Ashleigh Williams, Atheer Albokhari, Audrey See, Bethany Chamberlain, Célia Lesigne, Dena Rubinstein, Emma Cao, Federico Riches, Isabella Massa, Juliet Nelson, Katie Hubbard, Kevin Zhen, Krishna Patil, Meiling Kwok, Mia Margolis, Nejala Janiola, Pete Deards, Sarah Ong, Sheen Parimoo, Suki Fong, Ting Ting Mabel Loon, Tiresi Kirby, Yuting Zhang

building volunteers: Alessia Francesca Picarel, Alexia Dermatis, Alicia Mardones, Annie Boman, Ashleigh Williams, Bethany Hooper, Billy Hyman, Bridget Annand, Camila Strang, Charu Kukreja, Chloé Lindsay Daye, Christopher Papaioannou, Dena Rubinstein, Emma Cao, Fatima Harun, Iris Xiao, Isabella Zhou, Jason Mumford, Jedda Ayling, Kate Riley, Katie Graham, Kelcie Bryant‐Duguid, Kevin Zhen, Kyo Kim, Laura Cimilo, Laura Fisher, Lilah Shapiro, Linda Agresti, Lisa Stevenson, Liz Mayberry, Lois Hyatt, Maisie Rose Nugent, Meiling Kwok, Mia Margolis, Mikayla Earnshaw, Nejala Janiola, Pete Deards, Rizal Mahoney, Robi Stanton, Sarah Ong, Seamus Fitzpatrick, Sheen Parimoo, Sirintra Sriwattanavanit, Tamara Bowman, Yuanqi Jia, Yuting Zhang, Zoe Hyatt, Zoe Pan

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In Venice’s Santa Croce district, Zaha Hadid Architects will lead the restoration of Banksy’s mural, The Migrant Child (Naufrago Bambino), and the redevelopment of the Palazzo San Pantalon. Located just above the waterline on the canal-facing wall of the 17th-century palazzo, the mural had suffered severe deterioration since its appearance during the 2019 Venice Biennale. This summer, it was delicately removed by art conservator Federico Borgogni, initiating a long-term conservation process funded by the building’s new owner, Banca Ifis.

The mural depicts a child in a life vest holding a pink smoke flare. It is one of only two works officially attributed to Banksy in Italy. Fading from years of tide-driven exposure and saltwater erosion, roughly thirty percent of the painting had been lost.

image courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects

zaha hadid architects leads landmark restoration

The Banksy mural’s preservation by Zaha Hadid Architects coincides with a broader overhaul of the Venice palazzo. Banca Ifis acquired the building in 2024 and selected ZHA, in collaboration with local firm Th&Ma Architettura, to lead its transformation into a contemporary exhibition space. Palazzo San Pantalon was once derelict and closed to the public. The redevelopment plan emphasizes public access and integration with the Venice Biennale’s programming, establishing it as a permanent home for young and emerging artists.

The section of wall was detached using angle grinders and hand tools from a barge, then transported to a laboratory. Borgogni will now stabilize and reposition the image on a honeycomb support, preserving its current state and avoiding full reconstruction of damaged areas.

image via @banksy

contemporary art and historic architecture revived

The choice to remove Banksy’s The Migrant Child in Venice sparked debate over the ethics of relocating street art. For Banca Ifis, the decision is framed by a responsibility to the artwork’s message, its material vulnerability, and the city’s cultural future. Once restored, the mural will be exhibited publicly as part of free cultural programming, although it remains undecided whether it will return to its original facade.

Zaha Hadid Architects’ involvement introduces a distinctly contemporary layer to the site’s evolution. Known mainly for its sculptural and futuristic design language, the studio’s intervention at San Pantalon represents a rare instance of its work being woven into Venice’s historical fabric.

Banksy’s original intention for The Migrant Child was a comment on migration and humanitarian crisis. As Palazzo San Pantalon becomes a platform for contemporary art, the mural’s restoration speaks to the role of architecture in framing public discourse. Through the combined efforts of conservators and architects, a decaying wall painting is becoming the center of a renewed cultural landmark.

image via Wikimedia Commons

project info:

artwork name: The Migrant Child (Naufrago Bambino)

artist: Banksy

location: Palazzo San Pantalon, Venice, Italy

restoration architect: Zaha Hadid Architects, Th&Ma Architettura

art conservator: Federico Borgogni

building owner: Banca Ifis

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