The M.V. Louise Michel, named after the French anarchist and feminist of the same name, is a high-speed civilian vessel that has been patrolling the central Mediterranean Sea since 2020 to rescue migrants in distress.
The ship itself comes from the French customs authority and, at up to 28 knots, is more than twice as fast as the large civilian rescue ships. The M.V. Louise Michel was purchased by the British street artist Banksy. He himself is said to have painted the 30-meter-long ship pink with the help of a fire extinguisher.
The motif: a little girl wearing a life jacket and holding a heart-shaped life ring in her hand. It is reminiscent of Banksy's famous "Girl with Balloon".
"Like most people who have made it in the art world, I bought a yacht to sail around the Mediterranean," Banksy wrote ironically in an Instagram video about it at the time. The M.V. Louise Michel sails under the German flag and is supported by Sea-Watch, the German association based in Berlin whose purpose is to rescue refugees in distress in the Mediterranean.
Fundraiser in our exhibition
There are enormous costs involved in operating a rescue ship: Port fees, spare parts, maintenance of the ship, supply of the crew, travel expenses, etc. To support this important work, our exhibition "The Mystery of Banksy - A Genius Mind" makes an important contribution at each location! Each exhibition set dedicates a separate area to the M.V. Louise Michel project with prints, photographs, sculptures, video installations, background information. A donation box there invites all visitors to financially support this project. The proceeds of the donation will then be doubled by us and donated 100% to the "Handbreit - nautical safety solutions", owner of the ship.