Blu paints controversial mural on former police station in Rome

Blu, ranked among the most influential street artists by Artnet, is creating a large black-and-white mural on the facade of the former police station in Quarticciolo, eastern Rome. The work, in progress for about three months and expected to finish in October, depicts a fashion-victim Venus de Milo with a poodle and an overweight David of Michelangelo wearing a gold watch and cross while taking a selfie. The building has been illegally occupied by about thirty families for twenty years. The mural has sparked controversy for its critique of consumerism and its use of iconic art figures. Blu previously erased his murals in Bologna (2016) and Berlin in protest against museumification and gentrification. His most monumental works are in Rome, including the mural at the former barracks in Via del Porto Fluviale in Ostiense.