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SEATY
Originally from the south of France, Seaty now lives in Dubai and has carved out a place for himself among the most emblematic artists of contemporary art in the 21st century. And for good reason, the artist has never ceased to reinvent himself, to evolve, trading the wild graffiti of the beginning of his career for works exposed in the four corners of the world now. A look back at the itinerary of a mysterious street-artist known for his unique signature.
From an early age, Seaty was rocked by the urban influence of the permissive 90’s, oscillating between hip-hop music and the advent of street graffiti. From his passion for this musical trend, his art stems, as the 2000’s current takes him to the streets to establish his creative playground through the urban works he creates throughout the city. Strong of this form of expression a bit vandal, it is in 2008 that the self-taught decides to give a new turn to his Art and devotes all his time to it, like a lone rider whose goal is to share his artistic prism to the eyes of all.
The hobby becomes his profession and his creations go from the rural walls to the painting canvases. It didn’t take long for Seaty to be inducted as a contemporary artist by aficionados of this coveted sphere. Over the past 20 years, the artist whose stage name “Seaty” is the homophone of “city”, a tribute to the genesis of his career, has forged a recognizable signature and a hybrid style split between realism and abstract. There is all its force! To brilliantly combine the genres and to give birth to a unique work at the same time melancholic and colored, such a clever mixture with pop-art accents.
BANKSY
Banksy, roi de la provoc’
Bien que n’étant ni fondateur ni précurseur de ce mouvement, le roi de la provoc’ Banksy est aujourd’hui la star incontournable du street art. Il est l’un des artistes contemporains les plus connus de notre temps
Depuis 1993, son œuvre rayonne sur chaque continent. Pochoirs, peintures, sculptures, détournements d’objets urbains ou d’œuvres classiques, installations… Banksy est un artiste polyvalent. Il joue les usurpateurs et les provocateurs. Interpellant les citoyens sur la condition humaine, le tout avec une bonne dose d’humour et de second degré. Finalement, Banksy donne un coup de pied dans la fourmilière artistique contemporaine, assurant à ses pairs qu’il ne sert à rien de trop se prendre au sérieux…
Un artiste mystérieux
Selon toute vraisemblance, Banksy serait né à Bristol en Grande-Bretagne en 1974. Difficile de sortir du conditionnel car l’artiste a passé sa vie à échapper aux médias afin de garder l’anonymat. Cette ligne de conduite, c’est l’essence même de la scène underground qu’il affectionne. Cela lui permet d’agir de nuit comme de jour, sans jamais être découvert. Ce qui lui vaut quelques coups d’éclats exceptionnels, à la limite de la légalité. En 2004 il fait imprimer des faux billets à l’effigie de Lady Di, remplaçant le Bank of England par Banksy of England, et les disperse lors du carnaval de Notting Hill.
Sur les murs, certaines des œuvres de Banksy dénoncent la privation de liberté, notamment sur le mur de Gaza ou celui de Jérusalem, où il peint des ouvertures, des vues sur la plage, sur les nuages, cette échelle qui atteint le haut du mur ou des enfants qui creusent un trou. Il dénonce également la société de consommation en pointant du doigt des emblèmes phares de l’Amérique consumériste, comme le dessin de cette vietnamienne irradiée au napalm tenant par la main Mickey Mouse et Ronald McDonald. D’autres murs incitent, eux, à garder l’espoir. La plus célèbre étant la Petite fille au ballon. A Bristol, la ville qui s’est approprié Banksy, une exposition importante de son œuvre – plus de 100 pièces – a accueilli plus de 300.000 visiteurs en 2009. Illustrateur de la pochette de l’album de Blur en 2003, Banksy est également réalisateur avec le film « Faîtes le mur », sorti en 2010.
M. CHAT
Mr. CHAT
Mr. CHAT’s smile, which is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s enigmatic and fascinating grinning cat, probably partly explains the appeal to the public: Nora Monnet (Artistik Rezo) said: “A show of benevolence to the world, a poetic proposal open to the world.” With Mr. CHAT, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) aspires to remove the reluctance usually associated with the practice of street art and to share it through the prism of a local culture, even if it partially emancipates from the street.
In 2004, director Chris Marker dedicated a film to M. CHAT, produced by ARTE and screened at the Centre Pompidou that same year: Chats perchés. For the occasion, a huge painted M. CHAT came to decorate the facade of the Parisian public institution, and the newspaper Libération offered Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) a carte blanche. Translated into many languages, the film was screened worldwide, notably in 2006 in England and the United States, leading to the expansion of the reputation of the Franco-Swiss street artist in its wake.
We now find the contagious smile of M. CHAT on the whole globe, from the streets of Rennes, Nantes and Paris to those of Germany, England, Italy, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and Dakar. Recognized as a major figure of the European street art scene, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) is now assimilated both to the world of urban art and to less «marginalized» movements, like pop art.
In 2004, director Chris Marker dedicated a film to M. CHAT, produced by ARTE and screened at the Centre Pompidou that same year: Chats perchés. For the occasion, a huge painted M. CHAT came to decorate the facade of the Parisian public institution, and the newspaper Libération offered Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) a carte blanche. Translated into many languages, the film was screened worldwide, notably in 2006 in England and the United States, leading to the expansion of the reputation of the Franco-Swiss street artist in its wake.
We now find the contagious smile of M. CHAT on the whole globe, from the streets of Rennes, Nantes and Paris to those of Germany, England, Italy, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and Dakar. Recognized as a major figure of the European street art scene, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) is now assimilated both to the world of urban art and to less «marginalized» movements, like pop art.