Paris: Street Art Guide

Paris is an open air museum! Looking up, we can discover amazing pieces from graffiti writing, humourous stencils , poetic collages or monumental murals. We take you through the best locations in Paris to enjoy art in the streets from the festive district of Oberkampf via the 13th arrondissement or the suburbs.

From Montmartre to Butte-aux-Cailles , you have to open your eyes because each crossing is a pretext for creation and in many places in Paris, colourful frescoes have covered  concrete walls.

In recent years, the 13th arondissement of Paris is the favourite spot for street artists and has today become a true open-air museum ! In the vicinity of the National metro station, in the rue Jeanne d’Arc and the boulevard Vincent Auriol, it is possible to observe more than thirty murals! The American artist Shepard Fairey has produced several of them, from Rise above Rebel ( which we helped organise with the Mayor of 13th District) and one bearing the French motto: ” Liberty, equality, fraternity “.

Next door, a mosaic of several meters high representing the whimsical doctor of television series Doctor House is signed by French artist Invader .  The artist also invaded the city with other 1600 mosaics, so look up when wandering around.

Throughout the neighbourhood, you only have to walk around to discover a masterpiece, from Tristan Eaton, Okuda,  Bordalo or the colossal fresco “Embrace and Struggle” depicting two men facing each other in 18th century clothes. , made by the Irish painter Conor Harrington.

East of Paris, the districts of Oberkampf , Belleville and Ménilmontant are high places of street art. Thanks to the action of associations like Le MUR , some facades even have their own artistic programming!  Every two weeks, a new artist is invited to paint at 107 rue Oberkampf (11th). The performance takes place during the day and in public, a real treat for the eyes!

Lek & Sowat

Going up in rue de Ménilmontant (19th), there is an iconic fresco by Jérôme Mesnager : characters form a round and sing to the glory of the musical past of the neighbourhood. Higher up in the same street is the facade of Pavillon Carré de Baudoin which is repainted regularly by renowned artists like Lek & Sowat.

Finally,  you can enjoy a bit of nature while admiring art by wandering through the park of Belleville (20th) where frescoes of street artists such as Seth or Pez adorn walls and pillars.
In the center of Paris, the Halles district to Serge Gainsbourg’s home are the artists’ playground.

On the Igor-Stravinsky Square (4th District) for example, a fresco of 350 square meters shows the enigmatic face of a man inviting silence: a monumental stencil work signed Jef Aerosol .

On the other side of the Seine, Rue de Verneuil (7th),  the house occupied by the singer and poet Serge Gainsbourg is regularly covered with graffiti , drawings, paintings and collages, paying tribute to the musician Since his death in 1991.

Finally if you fancy travelling in the vinicity of Paris, Vitry sur Seine is a town dedicated to Street Art thanks to the artists and local authorities.

London: Hassan Hajjaj – La Caravane

Hassan Hajjaj - La Caravane

Somerset House is currently hosting Hassan Hajjaj: La Caravane, a homecoming exhibition of the British-Moroccan artist, showcasing his vibrant fusion of contemporary cultures through new and celebrated works.

The exhibition is the first UK solo show of his work in seven years, celebrating his multi-layered works which fuse traditional and contemporary North African culture with familiar Western imagery and iconography.

Hassan Hajjaj - La CaravaneHassan Hajjaj - La CaravaneHassan Hajjaj - La Caravane

Born and raised in Larache, Morroco, Hassan Hajjaj moved to London aged twelve and his artistic practice sees him spend much of his life travelling between these two countries and cultures. His artworks reflect his neo-nomadic lifestyle and the relationships he has formed with a variety of characters along the way, from musicians to artists and athletes to street performers. These individuals inspire Hajjaj’s diverse artworks from photographic portraits to video installations, sculptures, music, design and handcrafted objects.
Infused with a bold palette, the materials Hajjaj uses include patterned textiles, furniture, clothes and props often created by the artist to inform our understanding of the person in the image. All of these elements, including the frames made out of everyday items in which his images sit, are chosen deliberately to highlight these individuals’ identities.
He is perhaps best known for his colourful photographic portraits, including the Kesh Angels series, from which many new works feature in the exhibition.

Hassan Hajjaj - La Caravane
Hassan Hajjaj - La Caravane
Hassan Hajjaj - La CaravaneHassan Hajjaj - La Caravane

Blending the glossy aesthetic of a fashion shoot with Moroccan tradition and street culture, these witty and poignant images, although outwardly light-hearted, challenge Western perceptions of the hijab and female disempowerment.

Another new body of work in the exhibition is My Rock Stars: Volume 2, a nine screen installation of distinctively dressed musicians. Each musician occupies an individual screen and takes it in turns to play their instrument, while the other performers turn to watch. The clothes and brightly patterned backdrops in each screen have been carefully selected by Hajjaj to highlight each player and their individual performance.

Hassan Hajjaj - La Caravane

Visitors can view the performances from Hajjaj’s signature Le Salon installation, which takes the form of a customised sofa, whilst the music travels throughout the whole exhibition.

Hassan Hajjaj - La Caravane

On 6 January a free special event will take place to celebrate the final weekend of the exhibition and Somerset House’s season of African Art, including live music and a family workshop inspired by elements of Hajjaj’s work.

Hassan Hajjaj - La Caravane

View the full set of pics here

Hassan Hajjaj – La Caravane
Somerset House
London

2017 Highlights

With 2017 coming to a close, we look back at the highlights of this incredible year.

banksywalled-off-hotel-1

Elusive artist Banksy has been very prolific throughout the year and politically engaged:  between the opening of a new venture with the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, returning to Palestine after 10 years, highlighting the complex question of the UK leaving EU with a Brexit themed mural in Dover and revisiting the Girl with Balloon, paying tribute to Jean Michel Basquiat  at the Barbican in London, to creating a new play with Film Director Danny Boyle ‘The Alternativity’

 

Space Invader at Musee en Herbe in Paris

Following a roaring success, ‘ Hello My Game is…  Invader’ featuring over 100 works and continues to be extented  until 8 January 2018.

Hello My Game is...

The Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art is now open in Berlin, a unique center for exhibitions, research and exchange on urban art with over 150 artists on its launch.

Magic City – The Art of the Street continues touring after Dresden and Munich is now in Sweden, showcasing international street artists as well as local graffiti writers with their different practices and tools.

Magic City - Dresden

A big THANK YOU to all the artists this year for their creativity and involvement!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Best wishes for the Festive Season

Thank you for your continued support !

Video: Creve Hivernale II

 

December 2016.  A wasteland surrounded by barbed wire with a view on passing trains, home to travellers, migrants and less fortunate people. This is not a picture taken in a distant country, but actually in the center of Toulouse, South of France.

With Creve Hivernale II, local and international artists highlight the current socio -political situation, the refugee crisis with the inhumane living conditions in Europe by gathering outside and settling up in this wasteland for over a month, facing the cold and harsh elements to create immersive art installations, visual and audio performances using uniquely objects and trash found on the site, as well as collaborative artworks with children and families living there.

Participating artists include:

NADIA VON FOUTRE – JEAN DENANT – MANUEL POMAR – A4 PUTEVIE – MADEMOISELLE KAT – SID POLIEKOFF – MATHIEU TREMBLIN – TILT – MARDI NOIR –  UPGRAYYDD RECIDIVE– MOLO MOLO – CLAIRE SAUVAGET – BERTRAND FRAYSSE– DON QUICKSHOT– LURK WARM – BUTTERFLY – SOPHIE BACQUIE – LUCIE LAFLORENTIE – ANNLOR CODINA – NATALIE SVIT-KONA EIFYRAN

Video: Banksy ‘ Alternativity’ with Danny Boyle

Following the reveal of two new street pieces earlier in Bethlehem (covered here) Banksy will be premiering  The Alternativity film on BBC Two this Sunday, the 17th of December,  an unique observational arts and documentary film directed by Danny Boyle.

This hour-long film follows director Danny Boyle on his travels to Bethlehem to capture a festive performance of the nativity, directed in collaboration between the Oscar-winning director and the local theater director, performance artist, actress and teacher at Bethlehem University, Riham Isaac.

The film premiere was announced with a new artwork from Banksy that mixes his commonly used chalk doodle style with more elaborate stencil and hand painted elements. In this particular case, the characters are doodled as simple stickmen figures, with obvious emphasis put on the drone hoovering above, one of the separation wall towers “watching” over them, and a can of CS tear gas, commonly used by the Israeli forces, laying in front of the stable. The image is a hint on the theme of the play and the movie, which places the story of nativity in the context of modern day Bethlehem, described by Banksy as “the least Christmassy place on earth.”

In advance of the screening, a short teaser presents the movie:

Also coming out this week end, an interview in the Financial Times where Banksy discusses about his many travels to Palestine and involvement in Bethlehem.

 

When asked by Financial Times Art Director Jan Dalley about the possible effectiveness of his art, Banksy mentions “There aren’t many situations where a street artist is much use,” he says. “Most of my politics is for display purposes only. But in Palestine there’s a slim chance the art could have something useful to add — anything that appeals to young people, specifically young Israelis, can only help.”