Banksy™ Welcome Mat
This mat is hand stitched using the fabric from life vests abandoned on the beaches of the Mediterranean.
Customers are advised they no longer constitute a valid buoyancy aid – although shockingly, many never did – they’re cheap fakes sold by people smugglers and don’t actually float.
To fabricate the mats, Banksy has teamed up with the organization ‘Love Welcomes’ who work with women in detainment camps in Greece. All proceeds are retained locally to help refugees access key services.
Edition: 500
Release Price: GBP 500
Life vet not included
Welcome Matis yet another cutting take on the ongoing refugee crisis that has seen thousands of people risk their lives in the illegal crossing of the Mediterranean and the English Channel.
This welcome mat looks like any that could be seen outside a typical home. But, as usual with Banksy, nothing is ever quite as simple. The work reveals itself to be layered with poignant meaning, its bright and cheery message has been stitched together from the very fabric of discarded life vests that were used to keep the migrant afloat in case of rough seas.
This work was originally made in conjunction with the organization “Love Welcomes,” working with women held in detention camps in Greece.
The GDP website also listed that all proceeds from the original sales were “retained locally to help refugees access key services.”