French Street Artist MTO Continues to Support The Yellow Vest Movement, Jacksonville 2019

French Street Artist MTO have just finished a mural in Jacksonville titled “On lâche rien /We don’t give up”. The mural’s main subject is concentrated on the “Yellow Vest Movement”, and is painted at a diesel company, Diesel Parts Sales Service Inc.

The issue on which the French Yellow Vest Movement centred at first was the projected 2019 increase in fuel taxes, particularly on diesel fuel. The yellow vest became the symbol of the protests, as the French are required to have a yellow vest in their vehicles.

The yellow vests movement or yellow jackets movement a populist, grassroots political movement for economic justice that began in France in October 2018. After an online petition posted in May had attracted nearly a million signatures, mass demonstrations began on 17 November. The movement is motivated by rising fuel prices, a high cost of living; it claims that a disproportionate burden of the government’s tax reforms were falling on the working and middle classes, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. The protesters have called for lower fuel taxes, a reintroduction of the solidarity tax on wealth, a minimum-wage increase, the implementation of Citizens’ initiative referendums, as well as the resignations of President Emmanuel Macron and the Second Philippe government. Wiki

Model Mark Smith wears the yellow vest and is seen to pull away the dark grey smoky scene that surrounds him to a brighter clear blue sky.

The mural is titled”On lâche rien /We don’t give up” and you can see by the determination in the model’s face that they wont give up.

MTO has commented previously on The Yellow Vest Movement of his facebook page. MTO’s mural in Wynwood Miami Art Basel last year consisted of a line of yellow vest supporters shouting “And from here, Manu (Macron), Can you hear us ?”

“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 actually growing in France …” MTO

The mural was curated by Iryna Kanishcheva and organised by GNV URBAN ART and can be found at 1276 West Adams Street, Jacksonville 32204

Photo Credit MTO

Comments

comments