The recording of the graffiti was one of Pasquale Gagliardi’s (1936-2024) last projects as Secretary General of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. The ARCHiVe team were able to record the mural in such great detail that an exact facsimile could be made, down to the water stains and crumbling brickwork. It demonstrates the integral role technology is playing in the preservation of diverse forms of heritage.
Render of the wall with colour and 3D information of Banksy’s Migrant Child © Factum Foundation
A test facsimile of Banksy’s Migrant Child © Oak Taylor Smith | Factum Foundation
In July 2025, a section of rendered brickwork containing the graffiti was removed from Palazzo San Pantalon in Venice as part of the restoration of the building, now owned by Banca Ifis. It was also an attempt to save the rapidly decaying graffiti and to allow it to be moved inside the building — or to another location, if desired. The rising sea level and the impact of the saline water of the Lagoon have been eroding Banksy’s painting (and the wall it is painted on) since it first appeared in 2019 during the Venice Biennale. The graffiti wall is currently undergoing restoration by Federico Borgogni, who has worked on other Banksy relocations.
The removal of frescoes and wall paintings is both an art and a science. It requires highly skilled interventions that inevitably alter the character of the work to some degree — just look at Goya’s Black Paintings in the Prado. They were once on the walls of a house, now they are on canvas in a museum.
When comparing the image we recorded in 2020 with a recently published photograph taken just before removal, it is clear the painting has not aged well. We hope our recording will assist Federico Borgogni in his restoration, and that the facsimile will demonstrate to Banksy and others the central role technology is playing in preserving diverse forms of heritage. We hope Banksy’s Migrant Child will have a new life after its restoration, and we offer our support to the people involved — please get in touch.
The removal of artworks from their setting is done for many reasons, often commercial. In the case of the Banksy graffiti and the two examples of moving architectural works by Kurt Schwitters, it was done to preserve them. The removal of Kurt Schwitters’ wall in the Langdale Merz Barn in the 1960s is a complex story. The relocation of the Schwittershytta on the island of Hjertøya, Norway is another case of renewed interest and re-contextualisation.
