Recently, France has been experiencing one of the most significant social mobilizations in its recent history, that is mainly due to growing inequalities and thirst for social justice. The protests began around November 17 when tens of thousands of people sporting yellow vests took to the streets across the country to protest against rising fuel prices.
The Yellow Vest Movement
The yellow vest law was first introduced back 2008, where every vehicle in France is supposed to be equipped with a yellow vest. This is so that in case of accident or breakdown on a highway, the driver can put it on to ensure visibility and avoid getting run over. The symbolism of the yellow vest caught on quickly as a metaphor to revolt against disproportionate government’s tax reforms on the working and middle classes.
About The Mural
After spending a few months in the United States, painting in Salem (MA), and New Orleans, the elusive French artist MTO, who is known for his social injustice work, took the opportunity to share his frustration of the current events happening in his home country through the mural he painted in 2 days in Wynwood during Art Basel 2018. The self explanatory mural titled “Et d’ici Manu. Tu noue entends?” (And from here, Manu (Macron), Can you hear us?) is direct message to the French President.
“For those who don’t know, I am French and our dear president Emmanuel Macron (Aka « Manu ») has earned the reputation of caring more about elevating the desires of the rich rather than prioritizing the needs of the middle and working classes in France. So what a better place and time than Miami Art Basel 18 to try to get his attention and bring some support to the yellow vests movement that is actually growing in France.”
About The Artist
Born and raised in France, MTO aka Mateo moved to Berlin in 2006 and his career subsequently blossomed. His most widely seen pieces are those featuring iconic celebrities and well-known movie scenes. MTO left the German city he’d called home for seven years and shifted gears to focus more on social injustice subjects.
To this day he remains anonymous, his location reading, “Nowhere, Planet Earth”.
