Category Archives: streets

Streets: Tracing Morocco with Hendrik ECB Beikirch

April 25, 2016 butterfly 1 Comment

We first encountered the work of German artist Hendrik Beikirch aka ECB last year in Toulouse where he completed a large scale monochrome portrait of a Maroccan woman for Mr Freeze Festival (covered).

Toulouse (FR) – Mr Freeze 2015

This was part of a series entitled ‘Tracing Morocco’, following an artistic residency at Jardin Rouge in collaboration with the Montresso Foundation, during which he created 22 portraits, paying tribute to those anonymous Moroccans craftsmen and women he met during his travels, emphasising these fascinating encounters through portraiture.

Many of these portraits were also painted as large scale murals in New York, Roma, Copenhagen, Oslo, Murmansk, Toulouse, Naestved, Paris etc.

Hendrick ECB Beikirch recently returned to Marrakech to reveal the different artworks and completed additional murals.

Jardin Rouge – Marrakech 2016

Unveiled for the Marrakech Biennale, the latest mural is an hommage to Aziz, a local Marrakchi builder working at Jardin Rouge, who coincidentally worked to repair this exact wall previously. The artwork can be seen across the Marrakech train station.

See some work in progress shots below.

Ecb_aziz_Marrakech_©Paul_Etard_15_HD (Custom)

View the full set of pics here

In parallel the Montresso Foundation released a book ‘Tracing Morocco’ illustrating the collection of Beikirch’s portraits of Moroccan men and women he immortalised by telling their story through their faces. The book is an edition 2 500 copies with 50 deluxe version, signed and numbered by the artist. To preorder a copy of the book, just drop an email to contact.jardinrouge@gmail.com

BOOK-_-tracing_morocco_cover_221015-592x800-1

Photos credit: Butterfly / Work in progress shots by Paul Etard / Jardin Rouge

London, Street, streets

London: Space Invader – Wave 18

Image April 2, 2016 butterfly 2 Comments

French artist Space Invader has just returned to London since 2013 for a 18th wave of invasion. As part of an art commission for the London Games Festival organised by Film London, 12 new artworks have appeared on iconic buildings and streets.

As always location is key, and to celebrate spring, brand new CCTV flowers have popped up across the city, including a union jack one next to the British Film Institute surrounded by four other video cameras .

A pixelated cheeky prince with crown and 3D glasses is flying high above the Prince Charles Cinema in the West End , while the Arts Building in Finsbury Park is adorned with a paint brush waiving invader mosaic.

London Invasion 2016 - Wave 18

Wandering through the Museum of London, visitors can enjoy two new invaders with bowler hats and umbrellas watching each other.

And before looking for the remaining invaders, enjoy a cup of tea in Shoreditch…

London Invasion 2016 - Wave 18

View the full set of pics here

London, Street, streets

Streets: Banksy – Les Miserables (London)

January 27, 2016 butterfly 1 Comment

As mentionned earlier (see here) Banksy created a new artwork in London on Saturday night. As usual location is key and the new stencil appeared on the corner of a very busy road of Knightsbridge, surrounded by lots of CCTV but most importantly opposite the French Embassy under the watchful eyes of security guards.

The mural is a re appropriation of the iconic image of Cosette for Les Miserables, the little girl depicted in the historical novel of Victor Hugo during the French Revolution, whose mum left to another family hoping she would get a better life.

The French flag, used as symbol of Freedom during the French revolution but also for Les Droits de L’homme (Human rights) is torn apart. Grey tears are rolling down the girl’s face, provoked by a cloud of teargas from the CS cannister laying on the floor.

The mural is a continuation of Banksy’s engagement in raising awareness about the migrant situation in Europe, and specially in Calais. It’s a direct comment on the recent actions by French authorities to destroy part of the Jungle and evict around 1,500 refugees using teargas.

France is the ‘Pays des Droits de l’Homme’, country of Human Rights, but looking closer at the living conditions in the “Jungle” camp of Calais, it is a total disgrace.

Banksy - London 2016

The mural also features an interactive piece, a QR code that directs you to a video showing the use of CS gas by French Police towards the migrants.

Banksy - London 2016

As soon as the mural was confirmed on Banksy’s website, a few attempted to steal the artwork overnight, but it only resulted in some visible damages.

Banksy - London 2016

While builders were having a meeting on how to protect / remove the piece, more media and fans arrived at the scene.

Banksy - London 2016

It was not long before builders tried to remove it, and failed miserably, noticing it was glued to another board (video).

It was subsequently covered and watched over by a security guard before being taken down permanently, only to appear in the near future at some art dealer or gallery.

Despite the short lifespan of the artwork, let’s hope that it continues to raise awareness about the refugees crisis and inhuman living conditions in the Calais ‘Jungle’ camp and that authorities (regardless of their country flags) will work to improve the situation for both migrants and local residents.

Banksy - London 2016

Farewell Cosette …

View the full set of pics here

London, Street, streets

Streets: Banksy in London

January 24, 2016 butterfly 1 Comment

A new stencil by Banksy highlighting the use of teargas in the “Jungle” refugee camp in Calais has appeared on a building opposite the French Embassy in London.

The stencil on board features a CS can on the floor spreading a teargas cloud. With the French flag waving in the background, the infamous character Cosette from Les Miserables emerges with tears in her eyes.

The work is the latest in a series of pieces by the graffiti artist criticising Europe’s handling of the ongoing refugees crisis, after earlier his stencils in Calais (featured) . It is a direct comment on the recent actions by French authorities to destroy part of the Jungle and evict around 1,500 refugees.

Banksy - London 2016

In a first for the elusive graffiti artist, the artwork is interactive and includes a stencilled QR code beneath. If viewers hold their phone over the code, it links them to an online video of a police raid on the camps on 5 January.

View the full set of pics here

New York, Street, streets

Streets: ESPO – Love Letters Brooklyn to be demolished

January 20, 2016 butterfly

Back in 2011, we were in Brooklyn as street artist Steve Powers ESPO was painting his monumental ‘LOVE LETTERS BROOKLYN’ (covered here) on the facade of the Macy’s parking garage.

As an ode to the borough of Brooklyn and its 99cents stores below, ESPO adorned the building with black and white sentences like ‘Euphoria is you for Me’, ‘Turn to Me, I see Eternity’,

Macy’s restructuring plan to close 36 stores in the United States this year is also affecting one of the most treasured mural in the local community. In a recent Instagram post, Powers confirmed the closing of the garage, and thanked fellow artist Dave Chino, mural painters Colossal Media, Macy’s, and Brooklyn “for making [him] the man [he is] today.”

Developpers will transform the parking into a residential high-rise with construction planning to start next spring.