News Article 27

Banksy work in Calais 'Jungle' shows Steve Jobs as Migrant 



This is how BBC News represented the story:

The graffiti artist Banksy has created a new artwork in the so-called Jungle refugee camp in Calais depicting the late Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple.

The artwork shows Jobs, the son of a Syrian migrant, carrying an early Apple computer and a bin bag of possessions. The work is intended to draw attention to the benefits of migration, Banksy said. The artist, who has never revealed his identity, donated elements of a recent installation to the camp for shelter.

In a rare public statement, Banksy said "We're often led to believe migration is a drain on the country's resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world's most profitable company, it pays over $7bn (£4.6bn) a year in taxes - and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs."

The work - painted on a concrete bridge in the camp - shows Jobs in his trademark black polo neck and round glasses. He appears to be carrying a bin bag full of his possessions, as if he were a migrant. In pictures posted on the artist's website, the work can be seen near tents and adjacent to another piece of graffiti which reads: "Nobody deserves to live this way!"

The camp in Calais is home to about 7,000 migrants and refugees, the majority from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea. While at the camp, Banksy painted several other pieces, including one based on Theodore Gericault's famous painting Raft of the Medusa, but depicting refugees waving towards a luxury yacht.

Banksy recently donated wood and other structural elements from his "bemusement park" installation Dismaland to the Calais camp to help build shelters. The installation, in Weston-Super-Mare, closed in September.

My opinion on the news article:

I thought this was a really interesting story and I have always liked the work of Banksy because there is usually a meaning behind it and I also like the sense of mystery about his work. This particular piece is very impactful as it explores the negative perception of migration and by using Steve Jobs as the subject, it is likely to catch peoples attention and then this issue may start to be seen in a better light. Furthermore, I feel BBC News represented this story very well because they wrote about his piece in detail, including quotations, statistics, contextual information and good images.