History of a Graffiti Wall in Paris – rue Jean Poulmarch

Over the last year I have been walking down the Jean Poulmarch street near the Canal St Martin. And I noted that there is a huge canvass in that street for graffiti artists. Every time I noticed something different I took a shot of it and recently thought I would post them all here.

Realize that all these changes happened within one year. I also linked to the Google map for anyone who is going to be passing by at the bottom of the post.

Here’s how it looked like when I first saw it back in 2008. I blogged about it then in a post entitled Graffiti: Art or Vandalism in fact the photo I had on that post shows two guys doing something I can’t quite figure out… well, back to the post – here is a better version of that photo.

Poulmarch Graffiti Wall Paris, summer 2008

Then later on it got tagged on and postered on and eventually it was all painted white. And someone did a photo expo on the wall. That lasted a few days and looked like this (not my photo – credit goes to Fondarmental)

Poulmarch Graffiti Wall Paris, winter 2008

Later in early 2009 I walked by and saw someone what totally redone the wall, by that time the photo expo had been gone for a while and taggers had returned to mark their territory once again. But someone came and made a massive poster with great lettering, for a sentence I had a hard time deciphering it reads “I am everywhere” I think the artist is called The Atlas.

Poulmarch Graffiti Wall Paris, early 2009 - I AM EVERYWHERE by ATLAS

But that didn’t last very long either, for reasons I don’t know. And more recently an association called Fondarmental (see their blog here: http://grafflapointepoulmarch.over-blog.com/) redid the wall entirely. I spoke to two of the artists that were doing the wall and they were telling me they get authorization from the Paris City administration to do these paintings. The reason Mr Indy is still in the picture all the time is that he is over the 5 meters limit, above which the City isn’t allowed to paint over.

So here is what it looked like more recently when the artists were working on it:

Poulmarch Graffiti Wall Paris, summer 2009

And how it is complete:

Poulmarch Graffiti Wall Paris, summer 2009 completed

If you are in Paris, here it is on a map click on the image below:

Click on the link to see this on Google Maps

The Cartier Foundation Graffiti Expo “Né dans la rue”

So I went to see the “Né dans la rue” (Born in the Streets) graffiti expo at the Cartier Foundation in Paris. I was positively impressed by the expo.

As it was forbidden to take photos inside the expo I only managed to take a few outside which I have included on the bottom of the post.

The expo isn’t that big but is quite informative. It has video interviews with some of the early guys from the 1970s, a large collection of used magik markers and spray cans, a remake of one of the first full-car pieces from new york (life size). Lots of sketch books, it’s a great variety of stuff.

The expo mainly traces the origins of the graffiti movement from back in the 1970s to the early/mid 1980s.

I enjoyed the expo as it goes over the time period when I was deep into graffiti so I remember the artists of the time, the photos of the full-car, half-car pieces from New York that we would drool over. They were even projecting the movie “Wild Style” that I never got to see as a kid.

In short, while the expo is not comprehensive as the styles and quality of pieces these days is way above what it used to be, the expo is a great basic understanding of how the graffiti movement began and how it took off like it did. Organizationally, the only point I found missing is a sequence of viewing. Artistically, I would liked to have seen more follow up on the trends and offsprings of the graffiti movement, such as the stencils, tiles, and all the many other variations that it has taken.

I guess that will come one day.

But it was definitely a great expo and I recommend it!

Nice piece on the left of entrance

Fantastic detail on this piece

Close up

Everyone’s at it.

Even the kids having a go

Masking Tape Graffiti?

A real Stencil

Helmet graffiti?

Blogging the white grafitti men from iPhone

Canal saint martin has a great bunch on graffiti stuff most of it is of the nicer styles just like this masterpiece of “homme blanc” or white man by Jerome Mesnager.
I noticed it by chance when driving by the other day. I just had to get off my scooter and shoot it.
I blogged him earlier in a post called “Nemo stencil graffiti in Paris”.
Enjoy and as a note. This post was done entirely from my iPhone hope it looks normal. [:-]

Great Graffiti Zone in Sternschanze Hamburg

I recently went for a short trip to Hamburg and was pleasantly surprised by the city. A friend of mine showed me around the city and brought me to Sternschanze for a classic Curry Wurst (which I greatly enjoyed) and while there I had snapped some shots of some awesome graffiti pieces I noticed and really original stuff to. 

Here are some shots I took and I could have probably spent a whole day there just finding great stencils, tiles and poster art. Not to mention the other graffiti pieces. 

The graffiti covered building was pretty cool. The whole area is pretty graffiti covered though totally hip area and actually quite safe. Lots of great cafes, bars and shops. 

Otherwise there was time neat Tile Stencils that I haven’t seen before. They are well made since there is all the time in the world to paint them properly and in some cases I wasn’t even sure if they were graffiti or not. One of from the Piratos series that I discovered in World of Stencils (thanks Maya).

The majority of the Stencils are from ALIAS who per Maya is a Berlin artist but did quite some work in Hamburg too. 

She has a bunch of great stencils from Hamburg area (and elsewhere in the world) – I advise you check out her site too.

Sorry for some of the crap photo quality.

Enjoy.

[:-]

Seeing the T.A.G. Expo – Paris, Grand Palais

Check out that roofing

The contrast between the classic beauty of the Grand Palais and the tags and throw-ups on the poster

The beauty of the Grand Palais stairs up

There were two long walls like this with sprayed canvas pieces down both lines.

Liked the one in the middle that could almost have been a stencil

Like the simple strokes of the couple kissing simple but clear.

Nice lettering – probably not sprayed

Ok so I went to visit the expo and I can say it was not what I expected, but hey that doesn’t mean it was all crap.

When you come to the place the setting is amazing. It is THE Grand Palais in Paris, off the between Alexandre III Bridge and the Champs Elysees. Some of the most amazing architecture in France is in that area. I could ramble about it but the picture will explain better.

I thought it would be pictures of great pieces and a wide variety of graffiti types. Actually I thought this would be a sort of overview on graffiti. As the name T.A.G means Tag and Graffiti, however that isn’t what it is. It is a collection of graffiti by a variety of artists that Alain-Dominique Gallizia has managed to collect. There are some big names in there such as PhaseII and others. Gallizia basically contacted the artists and had them do a standard size piece for him on a theme.

My objection to this is that as it is done on a canvas in a workshop the quality should be 100%, the point is that it’s got to communicate. That’s probably why I like stencils so much (and to my disappointment there wasn’t a single stencil in the whole expo).

[addition]

I re-read my post and thought I would ad this (after the amazing comment from gmozz22) and want to make sure my post is somewhat objective.
1. If you like spray pieces then this is the expo for you. It has many many different styles – of the spray variety.
2. I would have preferred the pieces to be bigger as I felt they didn’t convey what a full graffiti piece is, but I understand it makes it difficult to transport.
3. What I didn’t know when looking up the expo on the net is that it is litterally two large wall panels of same-sized graffiti canvas’ – the entrance fee is 5 EUR which is about half the price of a normal expo.

Voila, now that was my view and up to you to make your own.

[;-]

Added: Lisa Forman (lisaforman.com) sent me a link to the photos she took when seeing the expo which I am publishing here (they are a lot better than mine) enjoy them http://lisaforman.zenfolio.com/p761974343

Going to visit the Graffiti expo in Paris

Am going to go visit the TAG expo in the Grand Palais (a prestigious glass roofed expo palace in Paris). Am looking forward to it. Hope there is a good variety of pieces in there.

Will be blogging my visit, it will be a long post.

[:-]

Tile Mosaic Graffiti

 

A Tile graffiti from Invader

I’ve blogged several different types of graffiti. But not Mosaic Graffiti… Actually I discovered this in the streets of Paris. I saw a few of them and wondered if this was something official, maybe some type of modern art (there has been some pretty weird legal modern art stuff around).  But speaking with a friend I found out that this is actually graffiti. 

It’s some of the nicest graffiti I have seen, not too loud, not too big but nice and funny.

It’s done by Invader, there’s more information on his graffiti here. He has done hundreds of these all over the world. 

More coming…

[;-]

The Grenade Perfume

This stencil was used by a theater company in Paris to promote their show. The theatre piece is called “Les vipères se parfument au jasmin” I have no idea what it is about and any quality. 

However the stencil piece they used is great and could have been from Banksy or Dolk. In fact maybe it is but I haven’t been able to find out. 

 

The perfume grenade stencil (pochoir) poster from the Paris subway.

 

If someone knows who did the original art please leave a comment. 

On another note, I started a thread called “Who has been blogging graffiti” on www.blogcatalog.com, see the link here: http://www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/who-has-blogged-graffiti and there are some really interesting graffiti styles out there. Such as the one from Bayarts about moss graffiti. Will definitely blog that one shortly.

Nemo stencil graffiti in Paris

Nemo stencil in Paris - notice the white man climbing the wall

 

I spotted this stencil in Paris recently and found it quite nice. It is by an artist called Nemo, and has done quite some stencil work in Paris.

Nemo is known for selecting spaces that look bad and doing his piece there. Such as a destroyed wall etc, while not the same witty style as Bansky and Dolk he is rather artistic and almost poetic in his way. There is a lot happening in his piece. It isn’t sure if Nemo and Jerome Mesnager are the same person but the pieces are often linked. 

Jerome also did the art for an entire hotel in Paris called Hotel des Academies et des Arts, check out their site – it is a great idea for an artist to do.

Voila – am looking out for more.

[:-]

Graffiti, art or vandalism? my take

On www.duncancumming.co.uk you can follow the story of how a graffiti artist in Scotland got caught and was about to spend 28 month in prison for vandalism. This brings up the eternal question, is graffiti an art or is it vandalism?

That graffiti is art is no question, the use of color, lettering and communication is exactly what art is all about. Look at some of the stencils and pieces by the biggest street artists, they actually deliver a message.

That graffiti is vandalism is an understandable point as well. I wouldn’t like to wake up one morning and find my newly renovated house covered in a graffiti piece. No matter how nice it is it may just not fit with the deco that I chose for the place.

So?

It needs to be done intelligently for everyone’s benefit. A graffiti piece can totally decorate an appropriate location. See this photo for example. It may or may not be authorized graffiti, but it fits the urban area. Try doing this on the Louvre and yes, that would be vandalism.

Graffiti wall paris (taken with mobile phone)

 The graffiti sort of “protects” the wall from being covered in all sorts of other crap. Additionally this fits the young people that hang out in the area and they don’t mind it.

If a street artist places his pieces intelligently it actually doesn’t harm but can help. Where it becomes stupid is when the Graffiti guys just do it for the adrenaline (yes I know it is part of the kick). There has to be a balance.

 

Graffiti Marketing for Radio Nostalgie

 

 

And if an artist did vandalise a wall, then pull him by the scruff of the neck and get him to spend his night cleaning it up and repainting it at his cost, he can take responsibility for what he did. Trying to jail someone for 28 month for graffiti is lame, that is the work of someone who is so lazy that he can’t even make him fix what he did wrong. 

I know that is the way because I went that way and the most efficient way to make a bad thing into a good thing is to take responsibility for what one has done and use the effort to become more competent and help others. I saw how many former street artists of my time became graphic designers, well that’s a great way to use the skill.

And here is a short video on how that can be done…

Feel free to comment, and vote.

[;-]