Following a successful first edition in 2024, We are [still] Here brings contemporary urban art into dialogue with Parisian Petit Palais more classical and historical masterpieces.
A striking contrast, worlds colliding… and an exhibition well worth seeing!
Curated by Mehdi Ben Cheikh from Galerie Itinerrance, the exhibition presents over200 artworks from 75 French and international artists.
Featuring : ADD FUEL, AKACHA, BOM.K, BTOY, CONOR HARRINGTON, D*FACE, DACRUZ, DAN23, DAVID DE LA MANO, EL MAC, EL SEED, EVAZESIR, FAFI, FAILE, FENX, FKDL, HERA, HOM, HOPARE, HOROR, HUSH, INTI, INVADER, JAN KALAB, JANA & JS, KAN, KATRE, L’ATLAS, LE CYKLOP, LEK & SO WHAT, LOGAN HICKS, MADAME, MARKO93, MARK JENKINS, MAXIME SIAU, MAYE, MIAZ BROTHERS, MISS VAN, MOSKO, NAJAH ZARBOUT, NASTY, NICOLAS PANAYOTOU, NILKO, ORTICANOODLES, PAKONE, POSE, REA, RERO, RETNA, RETRO, ROA, ROMAIN FROQUET, SAMAN & SASAN, SANER, SEIZE, SALMA MESTIRI, SETH, SHAKA, SHEPARD FAIREY, SPEEDY GRAPHITO, STEW, SUN7, SWOON, THEAZEE, TIM CONLON, TRISTAN EATON, VINNIE, VHILS, YSEULT YZ DIGAN
Butterfly Art News is pleased to partner with the Ville de Paris for the Exhibition ‘CAPITALE(S) – 60 ans d’art urbain’, hosted within the Hotel de Ville, Paris City Hall, and running from 15 October until 3 June 2023. Free entry, but booking is essential here
Through the creations of more than 70 artists, works from prestigious collections, archive documents, photos and videos, in situ interventions, painted walls throughout the city, CAPITALE(S) presents a wide panorama of the Urban Art Movement and the importance of the Parisian scene spanning across the past 60 years.
The exhibition starts with pioneers from the 60’s and 70’s like Jacques Villegle, Raymond Hains, Ernest Pignon-Ernest or Zlotykamien.
Then the early 80’s feature the white man figures of Jerôme Mesnager, robots by Speedy Graphito and the proliferation of stencils by Miss Tic, Blek Le Rat, Mosko, Jef Aerosol, Epsylon Point.
This period of intense urban activity allows the emergence of artists’ collectives such as VLP (Vive la Peinture) affiliated with the punk culture or the Ripoulin brothers.
French-American teenager Bando (b. in 1965) introduced graffiti in France after writing in New York, followed by the New York City Rap Tour in 1982. Graffiti writers invade the banks of the Seine and adorn the palissades of the Louvre construction site. Stalingrad, a spot found by graffiti writer Ash, becomes the Hall of Fame for the prolific graffiti scene until 1989, featuring writers like Mode2, Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman, Lokiss, Nasty, SKKI and numerous graffiti crew. In parallel Psychose paints in the catacombs and the underground sewers system.
In 1987 Keith Haring paints the emergency staircase of the Hopital Necker to provide hopes of brightening the spirits of sick children in the world’s first pediatric hospital.
Like in the US, graffiti was severely repressed in Paris in the early 90’s. American artists like Futura, A-One or even Rammellzee gain recognition from the European artistic community and present their works in galleries and museums in Paris. JonOne will settle permanently in Paris.
In the 2000’s, urban art has become a global movement with a multitude of techniques: from graffiti to street art, paste ups, stickers, stencils, mosaics and more. International artists are coming to Paris to leave their mark: Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Banksy, Vhils.
French artists have also gained international recognition: Andre, Invader, Zevs, JR, Dran, Lek and Sowat, Seth, L’Atlas, C215, Ludo, RERO, Philippe Baudelocqueto Levalet.
Specially for CAPITALE(S), Invader has put two new aliases to be flashed for all the Flash Invaders addicts and shared a fully updated map of his invasion of the streets of Paris.
The exhibition presents also immersive and playful experiences.
Kashink, Kraken and Madame have created 3 entirely virtual works, hidden in a secret room of the exhibition: “The Fifth Wall“. A hunt for clues in Augmented Reality can be found through QR codes to be scanned under the works.
Visitors can try out graffiti with a digital spray can through GRAFFITI DIGITAL Picturae.
Artist Cristobal Diaz has created a GRAFF BOX, an immersive experience combining urban calligraphic production with playful digital devices featuring 250 artists.
While it is difficult to include the full scope of artists that have been active in Paris in the past 60 years within the City Hall, the four curators Magda Danysz, Elise Herszkowicz, Nicolas Laugero Lasserre and Marko93 have gathered following artists:
• Jacques Villeglé • Zlotykamien • Ernest Pignon-Ernest • Surface Active • Captain Fluo • Edmond Marie Rouffet • Blek le Rat • Miss.Tic • VLP • Speedy Graphito • Jean Faucheur • Mesnager • Mosko • Jef Aérosol • Bando • Ash • Jay0ne • SKKI • Keith Haring • Mambo • Nasty • Slice • Psyckoze • Lokiss • Shoe • Futura • A-One • Rammellzee • Jon0ne • André • Zevs • Dize • Invader • Shepard Fairey • JR • Vhils • Swoon • Banksy • C215 • L’Atlas • YZ • Seth • Tarek Benaoum • eL Seed • Ludo • Rero • Dran • O’Clock • Tanc • Lek • Sowat • Cristobal Diaz • Philippe Baudelocque • Levalet • Madame • Kashink • Vision • Pest • Greky • Sébastien Preschoux • Romain Froquet • Kraken • 9eme Concept • Les Francs Colleurs • Saype
There is also a prolific programme throughout the exhibition:
New murals will be painted at the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin and in several Parisian districts,
A selection of pictures will be featured on the gates of the City Hall,
Workshops, conferences and screenings of films and documentaries.
A book accompanying the exhibition is available at Gallimard / Editions Alternatives
Big thanks to all the teams, artists, photographers, lenders and institutions that have participated to the exhibition, specially Clemence Demolling, as well as all the artists that have contributed to the scene over the past 60 years.
CAPITALE(S) – 60 ANS D’ART URBAIN
PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE ( Paris City Hall), 5 Rue Lobeau 75004 Paris
Tunisian-French contemporary artist, eL Seed has just opened his first UK exhibition entitled Tabula Rasa at Lazinc in London. We documented his previous visit to the UK capital in 2015 ( see here), where he painted a mural with this signature style: an adaptation of traditional Arabic calligraphy.
Within his intricate compositions, el Seed emphasises the curves and loops of the script removing a layer of legilibility and adding mystery to the meaning behind the words he chooses.
eL Seed commented: “I truly believe that art is a way to open dialogue. I like to think that my artwork can cut through the boundaries that we place between ourselves; whether physical, cultural or linguistic. My exhibition at Lazinc represents a new style of painting, where I am attempting to break down my thought process into layers. It also asks the audience to question the way they think and how much they have been affected by assumption or misconception.”
For this exhibition, the artist has developed on his process, stripping down the works, in an effort to access his own ‘tabula rasa’.
The concept of ‘tabula rasa’, pioneered by 17th Century philosopher, John Locke, argues that at birth the human mind is a complete, but receptive blank slate, upon which experience imprints knowledge. In relation to his canvases, eL Seed has taken the idea of the tabula rasa as a starting point, with the aim to alter deep-seated preconceptions that are commonly held about the Arabic script and culture.
In contrast to eL Seed’s usually polished and perfected canvases, the works at Lazinc appear with an unfinished aesthetic. The surface calligraphy is ripped and torn to reveal phrases and imagery below, which materialise slowly and differently with each viewing.
The layering of words and ideas offer an insight into the thought process of the artist.
Guests are invited to reconsider all that they previously thought about Arabic and immerse themselves in the calligraphic experience.
For the Shubbak Festival, A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture, Cedar Lewison invited French Tunisian ‘calligraffiti’ artist eL Seed to paint his first UK commission on the wall of Village Underground in London Shoreditch.
We previously seen his work in person back in 2013 in Paris for La Tour 13 ( covered here) and more recently for Le Pont des Arts.
Blending Arabic calligraphy with graffiti techniques, eL Seed has developed a distinctive and striking style, fusing poetry and language with dramatic design to create large-scale works.
Over looking the Seine , La Tour Paris 13 is a project curated by Mehdi Ben Cheikh from Galerie Itinerrance. During a year the entire building was painted by 100 international street and graffiti artists, each leaving their mark with murals and installations within the 36 apartments over 9 floors and cellars.
Opening to the public for a month from 1 October, the building is due to be demolished in November, making it the largest temporary street art exhibition in France. To celebrate the upcoming launch a giant Keith Haring banner has also been erected along the building.
