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      “Tursunay Ziawudun” by Mahn Kloix in Marseille, France

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      Street artist Mahn Kloix recently worked on his latest mural in Marseille, France. Located on 200 meter sqaured wall of the telecoms operator Orange and now dominating the scene is a portrait of Tursunay Ziawudun, a Uyghur who testified on her ordeal in the “camps” Chinese.Suspended from his ropes, the artist put the finishing touches to his portrait on October 7, on the immense facade of this building, rue Félix-Pyat, in the heart of one of the poorest districts of the second largest city in France. . And he signed his work on October 8 with a simple stencil, “Tursunay Ziawudun, by Mahn Kloix”.No message beyond this name and face, which the artist painted from an image from a BBC documentary where this 43-year-old woman recounts the rapes she suffered in one of the “camps” set up by the Chinese regime in the western region of Xinjiang, first in 2017, then in 2018.Several human rights organizations have accused Beijing of interning at least one million Uyghurs in Xinjiang in “re-education camps”, subjecting some to forced labor. Amnesty International has denounced “crimes against humanity”.Beijing denies this figure and talks about “vocational training centers” to support employment and fight Muslim extremism in this province which had been affected by attacks attributed to Uyghurs.Under an almost transparent lace veil, the look is soft. With his hand on the cheek, Tursunay Ziawudun seems “looking to the future”: “One of my challenges”, Mahn Kloix explains to AFP, “it is to talk about negative things without falling into the negative, to always give an image of hope”. This woman’s journey has been “violent”, explains the 40-year-old artist, who spent two years in Beijing, when he was still a graphic designer and above all a long-haul traveler. It was through this BBC documentary that he discovered Tursunay Ziawudun’s ordeal. “It took me to the guts.”“This is perhaps the hardest scar to forget”, explains this Uyghur survivor, in her testimony, reviewing her three gang rapes: “I don’t even want those words to come out of my mouth anymore, (…) in fact their goal is to destroy us all”, she asserts, about the Chinese regime’s policy towards the Muslim community in Xinjiang.“My theme today is oppressed minorities”, he explains. On a wall in Marseille, he paints Nüdem Durak, a Kurdish singer imprisoned in Turkey. On a garage door, still in Marseille, it is Yulia Tsetkova, a Russian activist prosecuted for defending the rights of women and LGBT people. In Eauze (Gers), Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish environmental activist. In Paris, on the WALL (Modular, Urban, Reactive) of Oberkampf, a kiss is scandalous, that of Shaza and Jimena, two women who had to flee Dubai where homosexuality is punishable by death.With Tursunay Ziawudun, it is another resistance that he highlights. “Paint this portrait on the walls of the historic telephone operator in France, in the country of the motto Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, the country which asserts itself as guarantor of human rights but which continues to trade with China, that makes perfect sense! “, he pleads with irony.Mahn Kloix originally began painting in urban spaces in New York City. Heavily influenced by the street art scene, Kloix’s contemporary fluid and free figuration is also expressed on canvas and paper. He pays tribute to young protesters in Istanbul, Tunisia, and Athens by conveying their similarities in his works. Their portraits are a leitmotif to highlight human and environmental struggles.Take a look below for more photos of “Tursunay Ziawudun”defaultdefaultdefaultdefaultdefaultdefaultdefaultPhoto credits: Fabrice Calmettes More

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      “Giant Doll” and “Nature Morte” by Ludo in Paris, France

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      Street artist Ludo just finished two murals in Paris, France. “Giant Doll” features the animatronic doll from Netflix hit series Squid Game with armed angels on both the doll’s sides. While “Nature Morte” features Ludo’s iconic imagery of and arrow + tulip hybrid shot through a skull.Most of Ludo’s work primarily focuses on the combination of nature and human technology. More specifically, he prefers to emphasize on the way society takes nature for granted. Often, we disrespect and over-exploit it- leading human control into a vast destruction. His work focuses on our surroundings and effects all while providing a form of humility. This is the basis of his work and is sure to leave one amaze at first sight.Ludo’s primarily forms of mediums used in street art are composed of silkscreen, acrylic, pencils, scalpel, tape, and printers. This is all used for wheat pasting or paste-ups. He also currently works on street installations and sculptures by re-using objects found within the streets. He is constantly active with works across Europe, using trademark monochromatic paste-ups with dripping green highlights.Check out below for more photos of the murals. More

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      “On the Horizon” by ONUR, Li-Hill, and James Bullough in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France

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      “On the Horizon” is a set of collaborative murals painted by three artists, ONUR, Li-hill, James Bullough in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France The murals are separated by a road that divides them. Although painted on two separate walls this is actually meant to be seen as one piece.When standing in the center of the road the viewer can throw their view beyond the murals and actually bring them together into one mural with their eyes. This animation shows what happens when you are able to combine the two murals into one.The artists wanted to create something the viewer had to participate in and that spoke directly to the settling of Bolougne-ser-Mer. Known as a major fishing port, the city’s past and future are intertwined with the sea.The images we chose embody a concept of time. A fisherman throws their net into a desolate dried-out landscape becomes a vision of a not-so-distant future. On the second wall, the sun beams over a shoal of fish showing the relatively stable period the earth’s ecosystems have had. The viewer finds themselves on the road caught between these two possibilities and a horizon line connecting these two paths. By combining the walls with thier eyes, one can glimpse a way forward in our current ecological crisis that is potentially harmonious with our surroundings.When mural was created for the latest edition of Street Art – Boulogne-sur-Mer. Check out below for more photos of “On the Horizon” More

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      “DOUCE VIE” Hommage to Hyuro in Angers, France

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      Hyuro was invited in 2020 to paint two walls for the festival Echappées d’Arts in Angers, France, where artists like Aryz, Nuria Mora, Jean Moderne, Tellas, Tania Mouraud, Hitnes, Daniel Munoz, Okuda, Vhils, and more were invited in the last years.During the preparation of the project, at the end of the month of may 2020, she sketched and wrote  :” The concept of the wall which I like most is a kind of celebration of life, there for the reading can work out with the actual moment we are living, with my personal situation which make it very special for me and to start, because I read an article, which stayed strongly on my mind, which title was ̈Angers and the sweetness of living ̈, it was a recently article talking about the simple nice things of this city. The idea are two figures dancing while sharing a beautiful blanket, one figure in each wall, you will see it clear in sketch, but I am happy with that idea since months now. “Hyuro was then in treatment to cure herself of leukemia, she wanted through this painting to celebrate the life and the sweetness of life in Angevin. Unfortunately, despite a long battle, the disease took her down in November 2020 at the age of 45.Tamara Djurovic, Hyuro by her artist name, was born in Argentina in 1974, then moved to Spain, to Valencia. Within ten years, Hyuro had established herself as one of the most respected painters in the world of “Street Art”. Her monumental works, of great gentleness and imbued with humanity, are visible all over the planet, all over Europe, but also in Brazil, Morocco, the United States and in her native country, Argentina.After discussions with her relatives, including the painters Escif and Axel Void, we made a point of bringing this project to fruition by paying tribute to her : the sketch she had sent us was painted in august 2021 by two artists who were close to her : FAITH47 (South Africa) and HELEN BUR (England).Take a look below for more images of “DOUCE VIE”: A Hommage to HyuroWatch the interview of the artists for the City of Angers here. More

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      “CryptoPunk Pineapple 00001” & “Another Angel” by Ludo in Paris, France

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      Parisian street artist have recently shared his new pieces located in the streets of Paris, France. This first mural entitled “CryptoPunk Pineapple 00001” which depicts a pixelated pineapple skull smoking a pipe. His next mural shows an other angel watching the charts in light of the pandemic.As one can see on the murals, Ludo’s work primarily focuses on the combination of nature and human technology. He is constantly active with works across Europe, using trademark monochromatic paste-ups with dripping green highlights. The use of green shades is used as a simple method to gain recognition. It is a well-known mix that Ludo uses to convey his artwork, designs, and messages.Check out below for more images of the Ludo’s new pieces. More

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      “LIBERTÉ” by WESLART in Taule, France

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      Urban artist Wesl just finished a mural entitled “LIBERTÉ” in “Place de la Mairie”, Taule, France. This piece is a part of The Mx Arts Tour 2021. “LIBERTÉ” is a reflection about the values and importance of a good education to the children — the importance of building good wings to be free and to fly.We´re responsible for improving the present and creating the future. Art and culture is a common good that improves and transforms society at all levels. Wesl is born in Toledo, Spain, a place where he began with the world of graffiti in 1991, with the need to express himself and change the gray walls that flood us in our daily lives, to give color and harmony, and from the street, a museum. He has participated in numerous national and international festivals, such as Meeting of Styles (Germany, Spain), Upfest (England), Yard5 (Berlin) and in different art fairs. More

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      New Murals by David de la Mano in Paris, France

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      Street artist David de la Mano have recently worked on two small murals located in the Batignolles area in district 17 of Paris. This project was conceived after his last exhibition “Intemperie” at the Galerie Itinerrance. He was invited by the Paris-based curator Olivier Landes, who also conceived the Rouen Impressionnée festival in 2020.As an alternative to the raise of big scale muralism, the project aims to bring on site-specific urban art pieces, based on the fusion with architecture and urban micro landscapes. In his unique black monochromatic style, David imagined two great pieces of his enigmatic characters, fitting with this XIX-century Parisian architecture and its cracks.David de la Mano is a Spanish contemporary artist best known for his stunning murals often depicting silhouettes. Through a minimalist style, characterised by the monochromatic use of black, David de la Mano is able to create extremely poetic artworks, a symbolic reflection on humankind.Check out below for more photos of the project. Photo credits: Olivier Landes & David de la Mano More

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      “Unique Characters” by Mahn Kloix in Poitiers, France

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      French artist Mahn Kloix just worked on his latest project “Unique Characters”. “Unique Characters” is an exploration project of the neighborhood of Belair, Poitiers. A total of 10 building facades supported murals showcasing portraits of selected inhabitants.Belair, Poitiers is a  suburban neighborhood in a city province of 90,000 inhabitants — building bars backing onto the airport, immaculate facades, an underprivileged population. The neighborhood is a key player in this region, creator of social links, cultural agitator and driving force of the daily life of the residents.The subjects of the portraits in this project were chosen by the inhabitants themselves. With the support of the team from the social center, which knows the neighborhood well, the residents were asked to vote for those whose portrait they would like to see on their walls. In the end, about fifteen inhabitants were picked with a range of ages, genders and of origins.During the photoshoot, the models were captured on the spot by photographer Mugur Enea. The residents conveyed their characters through different expressions – sweet, loving, combative, proud, happy… Some of the residents over 80 years old participated in their first shoot. Odette, aged 85, even asked the team to play her some music because she wanted to dance.Mahn dives back into this photographic material to conceptualize and work on his murals with graphite mine. The portraits were done with strong freehand lines.Mahn Kloix originally began painting in urban spaces in New York City. Heavily influenced by the street art scene, Kloix’s contemporary fluid and free figuration is also expressed on canvas and paper. He pays tribute to young protesters in Istanbul, Tunisia, and Athens by conveying their similarities in his works. Their portraits are a leitmotif to highlight human and environmental struggles.Between a communist grandfather and parents who were staunch, active union members, Mahn Kloix grew up in a family of activists, motivated by the major combats of the social Left. Despite the card-carrying activism hovering over his head, the young man himself would choose a path where there was no party, but just as much commitment — artistic creation. More