Sayart.net - Lamine Yamal Mural Vandalized in Barcelona with Seven Dwarfs Added Next to FC Barcelona Star

The mural honoring Lamine Yamal in Barcelona has been vandalized with the addition of the "Seven Dwarfs" from Walt Disney's classic animated film. Following a controversial 18th birthday celebration during which the FC Barcelona star hired dwarfs to provide service at his party, the street art tribute to the young soccer prodigy has been defaced with Disney characters that appear to mock the incident. On Monday morning, Catalan press discovered that several drawings of dwarfs had been added to the original painting located on Plaça Joanic. Seven dwarf figures were pasted over the existing artwork, clearly referencing Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." However, the vandalism is primarily a direct reference to the dwarfs employed by Lamine Yamal during his summer 18th birthday celebration, which sparked controversy. Catalan journalist Edu Polo revealed the vandalism through his Instagram story, sharing a photo of the defaced wall with the message: "This time, it's neither fake nor an AI-generated montage. I just took this photo." Earlier during the summer, rumors had circulated on social media suggesting that the mural had already been vandalized, but those reports proved to be false. This incident, however, is completely real. The perpetrator of this unsolicited addition even left their signature "Shredder" over that of the original artist. Less than a month ago, street artist TV Boy unveiled this mural of Lamine Yamal to commemorate his 18th birthday. The artwork depicted the Barcelona star dressed in a Superman-style costume, featuring an "L" on his chest instead of the traditional "S." This is not the first time that a mural on this wall, which is freely available to Barcelona street artists, has been vandalized. In January 2023, a mural honoring Alexia Putellas, also created by TV Boy, was subjected to derogatory graffiti tags. Vandals wrote offensive messages including "Feminazi," "Cro-magnon," "Only good for making tortillas," and "This is neither football nor feminine." These attacks targeted Putellas after she criticized the fact that no Spanish federation officials were present to present medals at the conclusion of the Women's Spanish Super Cup, forcing the female players to retrieve their own medals from boxes and place them around their necks themselves. The wall on Plaça Joanic has become a frequent target for vandalism, despite serving as a canvas for legitimate street art celebrating local sports heroes. The original Yamal mural was created as a tribute to the young player's remarkable achievements and his coming of age as a professional athlete. The vandalism appears to be a direct response to the controversy surrounding Yamal's birthday party, where the decision to hire people with dwarfism as entertainment was widely criticized as insensitive and inappropriate. The incident highlights ongoing tensions around public art in Barcelona and the vulnerability of street murals to vandalism and political statements. TV Boy, known for creating provocative street art featuring sports personalities and cultural figures, has not yet commented on the defacement of his latest work. The Yamal mural joins other high-profile pieces that have been targeted by vandals, reflecting broader social and cultural debates playing out on Barcelona's streets through unauthorized modifications to public art installations.