Banksy's new artwork temporarily (and naughtily) defaced in France

Euronews

2 days ago

Well, that didn't take long...
Banksy's newest work, a traffic bollard casting a shadow of a lighthouse with the words "I want to be what you saw in me" written over it, was temporarily defaced once its location was confirmed last weekend.
Geoguessers on social media turned out to be right when they speculated that the street art was located in Marseille, in the south of France. And the city, known for its rambunctious spirit, lived up to its cheeky reputation.
Une publication partagée par Banksy (@banksy)
The artwork was vandalized, with the lighthouse and its poignant message turned into a penis with an added pair of testicles.
Hardly very original, but also not entirely surprising.
The elusive UK artist has often stated that their works are meant to be reinterpreted - even hijacked – but we're not sure if this is what he / she / they had in mind.
The crudely altered lighthouse was promptly restored and shining again within 24 hours of the purple gonad additions.
'I tried to clean up some of the tags that had been made last night, because in fact it takes a while for the anti-graffiti varnish to really work,' explained Agnès Perrone, a heritage decor painter, to AFP.
'They waited until I went to bed, even very late, to come and add a nice pair of bollocks around the lighthouse,' she said, adding: 'I find it very stupid. But at the same time, I'm used to it, I'm from Marseilles: it's a national sport to fight tags here.'
The artwork has been gaining traction online and many fans have been flocking to the tunnel near the Catalans beach to admire a more intimate statement from Banksy, whose work is usually characterised by satire or socio-political meaning, often addressing war and the pitfalls of consumerism.
British singer and songwriter Jessie J revealed in a social media post on Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
The 37-year-old now plans to undergo surgery following a festival performance in London later this month.
'Cancer sucks in any form, but I'm holding on to the world 'early',' she said in a video message posted to her Instagram account.
'It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse – that's the bit that kills me.'
'I just wanted to be open and share it,' she said, 'I'm not processing it because I'm working so hard.'
'It's a very dramatic way to get a boob job,' the singer joked in her message, 'I'm going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery and I will come back with massive tits and more music.'
A post shared by Jessie J (@jessiej)
Fans and friends flooded the Instagram post's comments section with words of support.
Another British pop star Rita Ora replied: 'You're literally my favourite person and I'm praying for you, you've got this.'
Other British acts including Wretch 32 and Leona Lewis also commented, sending their support.
Jessie J is one of the biggest pop stars in the UK, with more than 20 million monthly Spotify listeners.
Her hit songs like 'Price Tag', 'Bang Bang' and 'Flashlight' charted both domestically and internationally.