PARIS: Banksy is believed to have taken his message on migration to Paris, which has seen seven works attributed to the provocative British street artist.
The works attributed to Banksy have been discovered in recent days, including one near a former center for migrants at the city’s northern edge that depicts a child spray-painting wallpaper over a swastika.
Nicolas Laugero Lasserre, editor of the Artistikrezo website that broke the story, said he heard a few weeks ago through contacts in the French street art world that Banksy was planning a trip.
He said he started looking for the works and came across the one in the northern Porte de la Chappelle neighborhood. The same wallpaper stencil was used in a 2009 exposition at the Bristol Museum, he said, describing it as “a real signature” of the elusive artist.
It didn’t take long for others to add — or detract — from Banksy’s work. First came the blue tag over the wallpaper. Then on Monday, another artist temporarily covered over Banksy’s work with a poster depicting a woman’s face, but the paper was quickly pulled off and an art restorer frantically tried to cover the works with a clear plastic.
Not all the works directly reference migration. One is a play on the 1801 painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps. Others show rats, including one that appeared to have been altered over the weekend.
“It lands at a key political moment, and for me that’s really the genius of Banksy,” Laugero Lasserre said.
Banksy’s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Street artist Banksy splashes Paris with works on migrants
Street artist Banksy splashes Paris with works on migrants
Saudi Fashion Commission launches executive master’s program
- Course in partnership with a top French institute
- 15-month program to be held in Paris and Riyadh
RIYADH: The Saudi Fashion Commission has launched an executive master’s program in partnership with the Institut Francais de la Mode, one of the world’s leading institutions in the sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
According to the SPA, the Executive Master’s in Fashion and Luxury is a significant milestone in the development of specialized education in the sector.
The 15-month academic program features a curriculum designed for professionals seeking to develop their leadership and executive capabilities without stepping away from their careers.
The program combines in-person sessions in Riyadh and Paris with supervised online learning, providing participants with strategic, managerial, and analytical skills.
The curriculum, developed through an analysis of market needs, spans creativity and design, brand strategy, sustainability, consumer behavior, retail innovation, media, collection management, and industry forecasting.
Participants have to produce a thesis outlining new knowledge to advance the fashion sector at regional and international levels.
The French institute will have experts in fashion history, sustainability, consumer behavior, design, and luxury management conducting the course.
The program features three in-person learning modules in Riyadh and one in Paris, supported by an online learning platform with direct academic supervision.
According to the SPA, the program is a part of the ongoing partnership between the Fashion Commission and French institute since June 2022, which includes advanced education initiatives.
