Italy’s culture ministry has announced the restoration of a damaged Banksy mural in Venice, known as “Migrant Child” (2019).

The torch has faded, and almost extinguished. The contours of the life jacket are uncertain. The migrant child, the work created by Banksy in Venice in May 2019 during World refugee day, is rapidly disappearing under the slaps of the wave motion and the corrosive effect of the salt.

A spray wall stencil, on the wall of an abandoned building in Rio Novo, one of the busiest canals in the city, a few steps from Campo Santa Margherita. The Undersecretary of Culture, Vittorio Sgarbi, wants to save the work. The restoration of Migrant Child will be financed by a banking foundation in agreement with Sgarbi himself. “We are not interested in having the artist’s consent, the mural was created illegally. I take responsibility”, Sgarbi’s words.

The move is sparking a debate : should Street Art keep its ephemeral nature?