Marianne cries: Giant Paris mural based on work by author of iconic ‘OBEY’ and Obama ‘Hope’ posters defaced by cryptic artist gang

A 10-meter-tall image of Marianne, which started as a gift to the city by Shepard ‘Obey’ Fairey, has been modified by an anonymous artist group, who added tears on the face of the French national symbol.

Fairey, among whose most famous work is the iconic ‘Hope’ poster made for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, produced Marianne in commemoration of the victims of the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. A giant mural of the image was painted in Paris’ 13th district the next year. On Sunday night, somebody added blood-red tears on Marianne’s face, apparently answering a call to protest against the policies of the French government.

The defacement was first reported by Hiya! – a French online magazine writing about urban culture. Last week, it called on artists to use their creativity to oppose what they see as the deterioration of the social and political fabric of France. The modifications of the mural are apparently the first practical response to it.

The artist (or a group of artists, since the job appears to be too big for a single person to do in several hours) not only added tears of blood to the face of the French national symbol, but also used the name of the protest manifesto: “Marianne cries.” The name of the magazine was sprayed next to the mural.

Hiya! said it was tipped off about the project and later received a series of cryptic messages supposedly coming from the people behind it. They said things like “Open your eyes” and “You are the violent husbands of the values ​​you claim to defend,” and were signed “LREM-NRV.” The magazine gave a glaring review to the performance.

Their enthusiasm however was not shared by Jerome Coumet, the head of Paris’ 13th arrondissement, who said the defacing has degraded the mural and that his administration will look into what can be done about it.

The same Fairey work is apparently held in great regard by President Emmanuel Macron, who had it hung in his cabinet. One might say the choice of the target is as much a personal message from the defacers to him as a signal to France in general.

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