STREET ART IN PARIS

Inti - La Madre Secular 2

Chilean artist Inti. Created the work Madre Secular 2 as a secular representation of the Blessed Virgin. Instead of Adam and Eve’s apple, she holds Newton’s apple in her hands. Stars and planets and jewels made of skulls represent the signs of all religions.

Hush - Untitled

Inspired by the representation of women in Asia, in this painting, the artist depicts his subject in almost in the style of Klimt, with an exploration of contrasting colour and detail.

Shepard Fairey - Rise Above Rebel

This work by Shepard Fairey represents a woman who is a victim of oppression, but resists it. The artist calls it “a powerful symbol for people”, depicted in a strong red and black palette.

C215 - Le Chat

The cat is a recurrent motif in C215’s work. It is painted here in shades of blue. It represents the beauty, and also the symbolism of an animal at the same time free and domesticated.

Add Fuel– Unfaded

Unfaded by Add Fuel is, or was at the time of painting, the largest that the artist has ever executed. The artist was seeking to create a dynamic work, and plays on the repetition of the square shape, associating motifs mainly in shades of blue, accentuated by a white grid pattern.

A main feature of Add Fuel’s work are azulejos, the ceramic tiles decorated with geometrical and symmetrical patterns, traditional in his native Portugal.

Add Fuel– Envolvente

Again working with the influence of Portuguese azulejos, Add Fuel created this work with an aim establish a relationship with the Portuguese community of Paris, which at nearly two million people is, one of the largest in the world.

Hownosm - Sun Daze

The artist Hownosm says of this piece “We actually prepared two drawings for the wall, and this is the second one. The first had a deeper meaning –the significance of this one is more superficial, less significant. It’s called Sun Daze, making a pun on ‘Sundays’. But what this really communicates is the idea that sometimes you just need to lie down, relax, slow down a bit and realize that there’s more to life than just work, work, work. That sometimes you need to sit down, be aware of the present moment and make the most of it.”

Pantónio - Fragile Agile

Pantónio says “Although I had to interact with the adjacent works by Inti and Conor Harrington, I also took inspiration from the day-care centre and the children moving around behind my walls. I had no predefined message to communicate, but when I saw their drawings, I realized that the theme here was simply the love of drawing. Nothing more.”

This mural by ST4 is a graphic composition that displays the style very specific to these two young street artists. The Arabic letters written in black and shades of pink intertwine and lose their functional aspect, becoming abstract.

Conor Harrington - Etreinte et lutte

Artist Conor Harrington often depicts representations of political debates or arguments. He says of this piece “I think this mural is rather appropriate in the present run-up to the presidential elections. The way I have painted the competitors (sweaty, collapsing, fading away) signifies changes in French society (and European too).”