All posts tagged: France

SETH At La Cité des Enfants in France

September 28, 2020 Artists

Just this weekend SETH completed his mural at Urban Nation for our show opening this Friday “Martha Cooper : Taking Pictures” in Berlin. A busy street artist and muralist such as he usually has a wall to paint somewhere, so today we thought we’d show you what he had been up too earlier in the month in Grand Paris Sud.

SETH. *“Il était une faille”.* Wall Street Art of Grand Paris Sud 2020. Grigny, France. (photo © Galerie Mathgoth)

Famous for his paintings of young children at play, dreamily lost in a world just adjacent to this one, he was appropriately painting in Grigny, also known as “La Cité des Enfants”.

Following other muralists like Case Maclaim, Alber and Jace, this is the latest wall for the 2020 edition of a private/public improvement project called Wall Street Art festival.

JACE in Grigny, France Brings the “Gouzou”

November 6, 2019 Artists

“Gouzou” are on the loose in Grigny, thanks to their creator, French graffiti writer and muralist JACE.

JACE. Wall Street Art Festival 2019. Grigny, France. (photo © Galerie MathGoth)

A children-friendly installation in a city that needs some love, the artist who began as a graffiti writer in 1989 here brings his famous faceless characters called the “Gouzou” to pop out of the box buildings and water the flowers of growth here.

JACE says he’s been painting this character since the early 90s and they are complex, despite their appearance. “The “Gouzou” is an anthropomorphic character, cheerful and endearing but not without a touch of malice,” says his bio, “Soft and delicate, he can be just as impertinent and teasing!”

This new community mural is in a housing estate in the district called “La Grande Borne”, or perhaps, “The Great Frontier”, but over time its reputation has become somewhat tarnished due to high unemployment, lack of economic opportunity, and probably systemic racism.

The Wiki entry says “Built as a 1960s social utopia with winding coloured buildings, it was intended to become an ideal dormitory town. With 11,000 inhabitants, it has become a by-word for poverty, drug dealing, arms trafficking, youth criminality and attacks on police, as well as arson attacks on public buildings.”

In a 2015 article in Le Parisien even the Socialist MP Malek Boutih has said about La Grande Borne, “A city where officials, including elected officials, make a pact with evil, thugs, offenders, corruption.” (translated with Google)

Maybe JACE’s Gouzou will bring a positive influence on the neighborhood? At least that’s what the mural program “Wall Street Festival” has in mind.

“Bringing culture to working-class neighborhoods is like a duty for me,” says organizer and founder Gautier Jourdain. “This is where the works are most important.”

ZMOGK has “Butterflies” in Lieusaint: Wall Street Art Festival

July 18, 2019 Artists

Moscovite graffiti artist/muralist Konstantin Danilov, aka ZMOGK, is our third in a row from the French “Wall Street Art Festival” this summer. A late 90s graffiti artist working primarily with the letter form, ZMOGK has deconstructed it and pushed it through a prism or two, now nearly entirely abstract. Look closely at the finished walls below and you may see why he has titled this one, “Butterflies”

ZMOGK. *“Butterflie“*. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud 2019. SLieusaint, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

One of the few Russian graffiti/Street Artists that you hear of outside of his mother country, he has participated in a number of Street Art festivals and jams in the last few years. On this commercially owned housing complex in this relatively small town of 13,000 named Lieusaint, the artist channeled his emotions, organizers say, bringing vibrant dynamic colors in a rather chaotic composition.

ZMOGK. *“Butterflies”*. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud 2019. SLieusaint, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

A press release says that his “first approach is based on intuition and the subconscious mind. This corresponds to the initial phase of working on a radically free canvas, when he closes the logical and rational mind and lets his hand draw the lines while focusing on his feelings.”

ZMOGK. *“Butterflies”*. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud 2019. Lieusaint, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

The Wall Street Art festival is organized by Grand Paris Sud, Gautier Jourdain, and Galerie Mathgoth in Paris.

James Reka at French “Wall Street Art Festival”

Belin and “Laurita” in Évry-Courcouronnes for the Wall Street Art Festival

Belin and “Laurita” in Évry-Courcouronnes for the Wall Street Art Festival

July 16, 2019 Artists

The 2019 edition of Gautier Jourdain’s “Wall Street Festival” across 24 cities of Grand Paris Sud has begun this summer with 3 frescoes that will go up before the fabulous European summer holiday period.

Belin. *“Laurita”*. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud 2019. Evry-Courcouronnes, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

Spanish Artist BELIN is the first to start the festivities, with his curious re-proportioning of the human form that looks oddly normal. The features are accurate, even hyper realistic. But BELIN consults his own photography, forces the perspectives, and skillfully juxtaposes a truly new form on this wall in Évry-Courcouronnes with surreally fun results.

He’s calling her “Laurita”.

The Wall Street Art festival is organized by Grand Paris Sud, Gautier Jourdain, and Galerie Mathgoth in Paris. Upcoming autumn artists include L7m (Brazil), Andrea Ravo Mattoni (Italy), and Jace (France).

Li-Hill Studies the ‘Process of Acceleration’ at Grenoble Street Art Fest, France

June 26, 2019 Artists

Research about Grenoble, France was foundational to Canadian Street Artist Li-Hills’ new mural for this street art festival, as was science.

Li-Hill *“Process of Acceleration*“. Street Art Fest Grenoble Alpes. Grenoble, France. June 2019. (photo courtesy of the artist)

“The figures become an allegory for the technological advancements of humans through history,” says Li-Hill, “pulling the water from the neighboring rivers and harnessing energy into innovation throughout time.”

Hidden within this multiple exposure action painting is the artists research into the city’s geographic setting “amid the mountains and rushing rivers, allowing for the advancement in early Hydrological energy,” says the artis when explaining the inspiration and interpretive process that went into the planning of the new wall he does here for the Grenoble Street Art Festival, 4th edition.

Gonzalo Borondo: New Images from “Merci”, Part II (teaser videos)

June 4, 2019 Artists

The church has been closed for 30 years. If you wait long enough the natural world will overtake this temple, covering it with moss, wrapping it with ivy, filling it with trees.

Borondo. “Merci” Le Temple des Chartrons. Bordeaux, France. June 2019. (photo courtesy of Borondo)

Borondo is already there. “The columns are connected to trees,” he says as he projects a tall thin ghostly forest down the nave to the apse in preparation for his multimedia installation at the summer solstice.

As he researches this environment and the forests and gardens of Bordeaux the Street Artist is studying decay, growth, re-growth, and the dialogue between architecture and the world that preceded us.

As he prepares the paintings, projections, and sounds he looks for the duality of our experiences as well – the fear and the attraction that a holy house can evoke, as well as an immense and thick forest, full of movement and stirring.

Who will fall to their knees here and cry it out to the sky first? “Merci !” “Mercy !”

See our first installment on “Merci” by Borondo here on BSA :

Borondo Begins Work in Bordeaux Temple for “MERCI”

Bientôt le temple ouvrira ses portes_Merci_Gonzalo Borondo Exhibition_Chartrons_Bordeaux Credits © Matteo Berardone/IG Bobelgom Graphic designer Oriana Distefano

Pantonio Wraps a Maze for DéDalE in Morbihan, France

May 18, 2019 Artists

The blackened blueish rivers of energy swirling around this former government building in Nantes beguiles your inquisitive mind, wondering what fluid velocity and movement you have been swept into.

Pantonio. *DéDal*E. L’Art Prend la Rue.Vannes, France. May 2019. (photo Sebastien Le Gourrierec)

Is it the pulsating grid of power that once coursed through the maze of 130 offices on four floors inside; a buzzing quotidian beehive of 20^th century hierarchy, efficiency, government bureaucracy, personal transactions, business ledger balancing. Or is it the newly spray-painting lifeblood of artists’ labor that transforms these spaces into immersive environments?

The Lisboan Street Artist Pantonio is not typically one to tell you about the creatures who swim or fly through his work, instead allowing the streams to weave around the façade, carrying your imagination with it. In the case of this waterside project by “L’Art Prend la Rue” called DéDalE (maze), the immersion begins before you have entered.

Borondo Begins Work in Bordeaux Temple for “MERCI”

May 16, 2019 Artists

Soon, the temple will open its doors.

Borondo. “Merci” Le Temple des Chartrons. Bordeaux, France. May 2019. (photo courtesy of Borondo)

We’re accustomed to watching artists interact with the unpredictable mood swings of Mother Nature when creating interventions in public space. Whether it is in the built environment of urban architecture or the crumbling remains of it in the city, followers of Street Art and graffiti are wise to anticipate the wild embrace of the sun, the winds, the floods, the fire, the ice, the snow. Now in the Bordeaux region of France people are preparing for the growing season.

The natural cycles are rarely invited indoors as part of an exhibit but this new artistic project of this summers’ MERCI by Gonzalo Borondo hopes to establish a healthy reverence for the revolutions and rotations of agronomy, history, mystery, and inspired variations of natural poetry.

“He is working indoors and outdoors in an attempt to create a dialogue with and in the streets of Bordeaux,” says project manager Silvia Meschino of the multi-stage installations that will pour into the temple as we near the grand opening precisely upon the summer equinox. “He has always tried to find a connection with the environment that surrounds him,” she says, and you recall his studied interventions of the past decade.

Today we bring you exclusive images and a teaser video of this first phase of Borondo’s adaptation in Le Temple des Chartrons. The old protestant church has been closed for thirty years but has been granted to the Spanish Street Artist/ muralist by the Bordeaux council so that he can freely create within it. We watch with interest as he creates his own version of sanctuary for visitors and of course, the natural world. Possibly the temple will achieve a balance.

Bientôt le temple ouvrira ses portes_Merci_Gonzalo Borondo Exhibition_Chartrons_Bordeaux Credits © Matteo Berardone/IG Bobelgom Graphic designer Oriana Distefano

BSA Images Of The Week: 03.10.19

March 10, 2019 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week, Images of the Week

A paper published last autumn by HEC Paris and Columbia Business School finds that artists are more likely to be professionally successful if they network widely – and that their innate talent as an artist may have less to do with commercial success than many thought.

Unearthed by Artsy this week, the paper is ricocheting across social media with shock and dismay uttered by some artists who lament the hollowness of the modern graffiti/ Street Art/ Urban Art world, purporting to be distinct and above it all, yet posing in countless photos on their social pages with myriad peers and professionals and potential clients cheek-to-cheek.

It may be time that some hardcore Graffiti and Street Artists can shed some of the charades about how the globe turns, even if you are a graduate of the “School of Hard Knocks”. This movement we are witnessing toward self-promotion and marketing has always been true: This research paper doesn’t even use modern artists as a model for study – the subjects were part of the 20^th Century abstract art movement and most died years ago.

You’ll recall that a central tenant of graffiti is that writers spread their names on every wall in different neighborhoods and cities to get “Fame”. As the authors of the paper Banerjee Mitali and Paul L. Ingram say, “CEOs, activists, scientists and innovators all benefit from fame. Meanwhile, the struggle for fame is becoming ever more intense and complex in a digital economy.” Download the paper here.

Yes, networking helps your career. In other breaking news, puppies are cute, the Pope is Catholic, and boys like short skirts.

This week our Images of the Week are coming to you directly from our latest visits to Madrid, Bilbao, and Bayonne. We’re excited to share what we found with BSA readers.

So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring Anna Taratiel, Artez, Aryz, C215, Dan Witz, Eltono, Invader, Monkeybird, MSW, Stinkfish, and Suso33.

Anna Taratiel. Bilbao Arts District. Bilbao, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Invader. Bilbao, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Aryz. Bilbao Arts District. Bilbao, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

C215 for Points de Vue Festival. Bayonne, France. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artez for Urvanity Arts. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SUSO33. Bilbao Arts District. Bilbao, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Eltono. Bilbao Arts District. Bilbao, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stinkfish. Bilbao Arts District. Bilbao, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

MSW. Beyonne, France. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Monkeybird. Bilbao Arts District. Bilbao, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Sunset. Madrid, Spain. March 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bayonne Diary, From Alban Morlot’s Point of View

March 7, 2019 Artists

Here in Basque country you can casually drive between Bilbao (Spain) and Bayonne (France) as if you were just heading out to the shopping mall to buy new kicks. The signs of course are in multiple languages (Spanish, French, Basque) and there is much more political street art in these towns- addressing topics like fracking, racism, women’s rights and amnesty for political prisoners.

With an atmosphere that is more politically charged than other parts of the world, you can quickly forget it when you see so many rolling green hills dotted with puffy round sheep and old white farm houses along the highway.

Arriving in Bayonne we were happy to see many of the medieval small streets still boast Gothic-style cathedrals, a cloister here, the occasional castle there. It’s a walkable city with centuries of history, conservative cultural values, and a cool Street Art festival from the last few years called Points de Vue. Co-Founder Alban Morlot obliged us with a tour of the city and a multitude of murals produced over the past few years (You can read here our article of the recent 2018 edition of the festival with exclusive images from Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer).

Headquartered in the public/privately run community center/gallery called SpaceJunk since the early 2000’s Alban and director Jérome Catz have been organizing shows here and in Lyons and Grenoble as their interests and network of artists has expanded. The two met when Catz was better known as a celebrity snowboarder organizing an art show for a sponsoring brand, and Marlot attended the show as a self-described “groupie”.

Shows and exhibitions over the last decade and a half have included artists such as Lucy McLauchlan, Adam Neate, Will Barras, Jeff Soto, Laurence Vallières, Robert Williams, Robert Crumb, Isaac Cordal, Vhils, C215, Slinkachu, Ron English, Zevs, Shepard Fairey, JR, Lister, Augustine Kofie, Beast, NeverCrew, Monkey Bird, Daleast, and Seth.

A topic close to our heart for a decade, they also began a new film festival for there 2017 edition of the Grenoble Street Art Fest.

Headquartered in the public/privately run community center/gallery called SpaceJunk since the early 2000’s Alban and director Jérome Catz have been organizing shows here, Lyons, and Grenoble as their interests and network of artists has expanded. The two met when Catz was better known as a celebrity snowboarder organizing an art show for a sponsoring brand, and Marlot attended the show as a self-described “groupie”.

With a common interest is providing artists a platform and complementary abilities with funding and collecting, the two have gone on to mount shows and festivals in their organic path through the lenses of “board culture”, graffiti, Street Art, Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism. Shows and exhibitions over the last decade and a half have included artists such as Lucy McLauchlan, Adam Neate, Will Barras, Jeff Soto, Laurence Vallières, Robert Williams, Robert Crumb, Isaac Cordal, Vhils, C215, Slinkachu, Ron English, Zevs, Shepard Fairey, JR, Lister, Augustine Kofie, Beast, NeverCrew, Monkey Bird, Daleast, and Seth. A topic close to our heart for a decade, they have also began a film festival for there 2017 edition of the Grenoble Street Art Fest.

As we walk through a very windy afternoon that kicks up the new construction dust that coats this neighborhood by the river, Alban talks to us about the suspicious embrace of locals and politicians of his work, the various working personalities of artists for the festival, the creation of a new currency by the Basque community, the tradition of socialist bars and political activists in the neighborhood, and his own connection to graffiti that began when he was hanging out in his hometown of Pau as a teenager with other skaters.

“We would listen to music, smoke a blunt, and skate all day. At some point graffiti became my culture,” he says of those times that formed his character and informed his aesthetic eye. “I don’t think I realized it at the time when I was a teenager but by the time I was 25 I said to myself ‘this is my culture’. I know I’m not the only one to feel this way but I knew that I wanted to share this experience and make it visible for other people in my generation.”

Walking and riding in a car to see murals, small installations, illegal graffiti, and formally approved artworks, you may wonder how this organizer and curator looks at his position in an evolving urban art scene that has witnessed the arrival and departure of many over the last 15 years. He says that his work has always centered on the artists, and that despite the chaos and change, this may be why he perseveres.

“My job is to know the artist and learn where they want to go and what their context is,” says Alban. “Afterwards I let them express their hearts without any conditions because I want them to have the maximum pleasure to produce their art. This way you receive the best from them.”

You may wonder where this philosophy comes from, and ask if he always felt this way.

“I think I just love artists so much,” he says. “People at Space Junk often ask me if I am an artist and I am not. I just consider artists to be very important in our lives and in society and I think we have to put artists in the middle of the system and not like they are just observers. I think artists belong in the center of society and I think people have to learn again how to listen to what they have to say. The way they present society is a very different point of view that helps us to understand who we are, who our neighbors are and help us to drive together.”

Our sincere thanks to Alban and Jérome for their work and hospitality and we hope you enjoy some of these pics from Bayonne.

Xabier Anunsibai & Sebas Velasco (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Points De Vue” Festival 2018 Spans Styles and the Basque Region in Bayonne, France.

December 5, 2018 Artists, Interview

“Today there are nearly 80 works – paintings and installations,” says Alban Morlot, “to discover in the inner city and its periphery.”

The founder and curator of Points de Vue is speaking about his city, Bayonne in the south of France, which straddles the Basque region and boasts the language throughout this region and neighboring Spain. Here on both sides of the the Adour river running through the small city, you will find new installations from this years invited 20 or so artists from the urban art scene including folks like the Portuguese Pantonio, Italian Pixel Pancho, French Mantra, French Koralie, Venezuelan Koz Dox, German 1UP Crew, and the American graffiti and Street Art documentarian Martha Cooper.

Spawned a few years ago from Morlot and his team at Spacejunk, the community/privately funded festival has produced a range of large public works throughout the city. Similarly, the storefront Spacejunk space on rue Sainte Catherine in the Saint-Esprit district of Bayonne had hosted a cultural and artistic association that spans genres and disciplines; hosting classes, talks, performances and exhibitions of modern artists drawn from the worlds of of Street Art, LowBrow, and Pop Surrealism. After a great number of group and solo shows Spacejunk is now entering their 11 year celebrating counter-culture.

Bayonne is stitched together geographically and socially with nearby Biarritz and Anglet, so the Basque area of about 130,000 has enough fans and practioners to support this five day festival. Alban tells us that the usual staff of 3 who run Spacejunk couldn’t do the festival without the generous enthusiasm and efforts of 40 volunteers, 10 interns and 1 senior technician.

An eclectic mix of artists invited to create new works in the public space reflect the alternative environments that have been showcased at Spacejunk: influences from a number of subcultural narratives including comics, punk, tattoo, skater culture, graffiti, and of course, Street Art.

With very special thanks to Ms. Cooper and Ms. Kramer we have today new images to share with BSA readers from this autumns’ edition of Points de Vue. We also had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Morlot about his approach to the festival.

BSA: How did you conceive of Points de Vue?
Alban Morlot: I have work for Spacejunk art center for almost 15 years and have run the art center of Bayonne – Basque Country – since 2007. During this time I’ve met many artists from all over the world who have work in public space previously. At that time, French public authorities were under-informed about street art mutations so it was difficult to organize outside projects with street artists – who many people automatically associated to vandalism.

I was frustrated at not being able to take advantage of their presence and their talent to develop their aesthetics in situ. It was during that time that the idea of a festival sprouted in my mind – but it was only later that the planets were aligned!

Equipped with years of experiences, I wanted to set up an event that could represent the variety of the creative styles being used in public space and to provide an educational approach in the same time. The underlying idea is to show the multiplicity of artistic points of view, to confront them, and to offer to the wider audience the opportunity to enrich themselves with others’ eyes.

BSA: What’s your criteria as an organizer when inviting the artists to participate?
Alban Morlot: First, I make sure that the artistic selection is consistent with the purpose of the festival: to discover the extent of the current creations happening in public space. Then it’s the walls that guide me in my research. The context, the format, the situation… are all criteria that I integrate before launching a personalized invitation to an artist.

Most of the time, I invite artists whom I have already met because I like building relationships that go beyond the “one shot”. I know that it could be possible to pass up several editions before I can propose an invitation to such and such artist, but I prefer to wait the right moment, try to gather the best conditions and do a serious proposal so that from the artworks there emerges the pleasure of painting.

Then I try to build a singular identity for the festival “Points of View”. The Basque Country is located between France and Spain. It is important in this context to boost cross-border artistic exchanges between the northern Basque Country (Iparralde) and the south (Hegoalde).

Last but not least, I try to encourage the presence of female artists because they remain largely underrepresented in this artistic scene.

BSA: Bayonne is also known for its political murals. Do you encourage the artists to be political with their work as well?
Alban Morlot: Generally, I do not allow myself to intervene in the process of artistic creation. I give my opinion if necessary but for me, once the selection is complete, I trust them. I want to allow everyone to practice his or her job with good conditions and it can happen if each part knows his appropriate place.

That said, I do not hesitate to convey the history of the region that welcomes them, because here as elsewhere, there is a story, a people and a language. It is political in a sense, but in the noble meaning!

BSA: Do you see Points de Vue purely as a beautification of the city or do you see it to make a social impact within the community?
Alban Morlot: In no way should our action be seen as decoration. Otherwise, I would not give carte blanche to the artists. No, I undertake a cultural project that aims to promote the meeting between artists and the public, generates exchanges, curiosity, in order to support everyone to be emancipated as a citizen.

Of course, I am not unaware of the social, economic, touristic considerations nor the impact of the festival on urban renewal programs. Culture is transversal and this is its strength, but I do not want to be polluted by other considerations that could divert me from the basics of the festival. I want to give artists the opportunity to work on a wall as they would in their studios and give them the opportunity to meet each other.

BSA: How do you see the arts in public space making a difference to society? Should that be the mission or art in public space?
Alban Morlot: Art in the private space or in the public space plays the same role. The unprecedented recognition of urban art is one of all manifestations of social upheaval that we go through in modern societies. I think there’s a break with previous artistic movements because it more closely allies with the aspirations of today’s people – with think tanks who want to reinvest public spaces, etcetera. Art has always been an indicator of the evolution of society.

BSA: What sort of support do you get from the city’s government for the implementation of the festival?
Alban Morlot: Since the Spacejunk art center is already identified by public authorities, we also receive support from these partners for the festival; This is a form of financial and logistical support. In addition, the festival is also supported by private companies and, thanks to all of these contributors, we manage to present a festival that is both qualitative and open to all.

BSA: What’s the reaction of the residents of Bayonne when they see the artists at work and the completed murals?
Alban Morlot: I must say that I was surprised by the reception that the Bayonne’s inhabitants (and vistors from nearby) have reserved for the festival. I spent almost 6 years defending this project with people who were ultimately quite afraid of the reaction of the public. But the reactions of the population were immediately enthusiastic! Martha (Cooper) even told me that it was quite unusual to see so many people on the streets coming to see the artists work. It is true that I strongly emphasized that it was a chance to see the artists in creation residencies!

Additionally, different from other events, an urban art festival leaves traces on the city which gain a certain value in time, and we are pleased that so many artists have come to the Basque country.

KOZ DOS
“Punto y flecha sobre el plano”

“Dreams and the subconscious have been the genesis of my work lately. I do try not to put limits on myself or to follow a pattern when I create. The elements that are in my subconscious are the sketches to draw information from. At the same time it’s also the beginning of something that exists and that might be real and logic in our minds. It is the treatment of color, composition and form that unify all the elements and symbols, creating fantastic characters that in turn shed light to a parallel universe.

A central theme in my research for quite a while now, is the confrontation of the human versus the beast and nature. I look for harmony and coexistence through the treatment of images and the plastic arts.

In this project, titled “Punto y flecha sobre el plano” I wanted to work with the construction of the elements within the piece as something tangible, like our dreams, using lines and points on the plane or the wall in this case. Most of everything in our universe is composed of circles and lines so in this piece I wanted to give importance to the geometric form but imbued with a dreamlike quality.

When we are able to verbally communicate with each other we are able to arrive to important accords. Reaching an agreement means that we can coexist with each other. We have the tools at our disposal to do so but very often we put our focus on damaging ourselves by rejecting our origins, destroying our cultures and traditions and mowing over everything as we march on.”

Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. Photo of Martha Cooper by Nika Kramer.

Vintage political mural in Bayonne, France written in the Basque language, translated as “The People Must Live”. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Leon Keer Goes Beyond Anamorphic and Into Augmented Reality

November 15, 2018 Artists

Street Artists continue to embrace new technologies as we race toward our own version of Huxley’s Brave New World. Personally, we’re still looking forward to the sleep-learning.

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

Anamorphic artist Leon Keer suggest you download his app on your phone before walking past his new mural created with Massina using Augmented Reality (AR) in Pessac, France. Otherwise the large piece on the side of an apartment complex will just look like an oversized den.

It’s not the first piece he’s done with AR of course, and we have seen a number of works in public space activated within phones and tablets, but Keer is excited because this one is viewable on his newly released APP, title appropriately Leon Keer.

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

The AR feature is created by Netherlands-based Joost Spek, a 3D Art Director for 3Dpicnic. They’ve worked collaboratively previously and you can expect more from this duo in the future. To get the full effect of “Once Upon a Time”, check out the installation in AR on the video below.

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

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Mantra. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mantra. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mantra. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mantra. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Anonymouse. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Anonymouse. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Anonymouse. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Anonymouse. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Anonymouse. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Lorcolors. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Lorcolors. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Lorcolors. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Remy Uno. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Remy Uno. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Taroe. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Pixel Pancho. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Pixel Pancho. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Pixel Pancho. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Pantonio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Pantonio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Pantonio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Pantonio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Koralie. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Fermin Moreno. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Fermin Moreno. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Fermin Moreno. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Deuz. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Deuz. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Deuz. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Deuz. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Petite Poissone. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Petite Poissone. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Reskate Studio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Reskate Studio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Reskate Studio. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Koz Dos. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

A central theme in my research for quite a while now, is the confrontation of the human versus the beast and nature. I look for harmony and coexistence through the treatment of images and the plastic arts.

Koz Dos. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Udatxo. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Landroid. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Landroid. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Landroid. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Flow . Deza. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Untay. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Untay. Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Points De Vue Festival 2018. Bayonne, France. Photo of Martha Cooper by Nika Kramer.

Vintage political mural in Bayonne, France written in the Basque language, translated as “The People Must Live”. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Vintage political mural in Bayonne. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Vintage political mural in Bayonne, France written in the Basque language. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

Leon Keer & Massina. “Once Upon A Time” Created for Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac, France. (still from the video)

Featured Video | Martin Wong’s “Houston Street”

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