“He wanted to highlight youth, its beauty and diversity,” says Gautier Jordain about French stencil master Jef Aérosol for this new public mural he just completed in Evry, in the south of Paris.

Jef Aérosol. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud. Evry, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

One of his biggest frescoes to date, the rocker/Street Artist doesn’t usually include this much red in his compositions, aside from his signature red arrows placed alongside the figures in his portraits. The striking graphic nature of these bands of color pops a new wave into his work, creating a fresh look that somehow feels quite modern.

Part of this year’s Wall Street Art festival curated by Mathgoth Gallery in Paris, this new monumental work dedicates itself to the diverse nature of many of the city’s newest immigrant communities, something that many European nations have been faced with in recent years with new arrivals fleeing war-torn countries.

Jef Aérosol. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud. Evry, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

For some reason, we humans are tribal in our behaviors sometimes and we can have a hard time accepting new members of our tribes. As is a historical practice, we depend on the intuitive knowledge and talents of artists to help us make the transition to being more accepting of others and to possibly help us find the innate great qualities in each other.

Jef Aérosol. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud. Evry, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

“He portrayed children who are happy to live and to share with you,” Gautier, who curated the project with his partner Mathilde, “without question of skin color, origin or religion.”

“Un enfant, Ça écoute le merle Qui dépose ses perles Sur la portée du vent*,” a lyric from singer Jacques Brel provided the inspiration, Jef says, and he spent some days with local kids and families in the neighborhood to make sure that they know this mural is for them.

Jef Aérosol. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud. Evry, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

Jef Aérosol. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud. Evry, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

Jef Aérosol. Wall Street Art Festival of Grand Paris Sud. Evry, France. (photo © Mathgoth Gallery)

* “A child, he takes your dream and turns it into a song.” (approximate translation)

238

138

45