The representation of animals goes back to prehistoric times and has crossed the centuries and continents.
The Street Art movement is no exception, with wild or pet animals now covering the walls of the world's largest cities. They inspire graffiti artists such as C215, M.Chat and L'Insecte. Each with their own style and artistic approach, let's discover why and how wildlife has found its way into the studios of these artists.
From the very beginning of street art, a cat has accompanied C215's tramps. "We all have a totem animal in urban art, it's a code. I chose the cat because it is a street animal that evokes a triggering element of the birth of the Street Art culture: the appearance of the internet and lolcats; Street Art being something extremely viral."
C215 is not the only one to have chosen this animal as his emblem. Another famous Street Artist has identified with the street cat, climbing the rooftops of Paris at night to leave his legendary big yellow cat with a big smile. Mr.Chat, aka Thoma Vuille, has travelled the world many times to bring a touch of cheerfulness and optimism to cities. In a naïve style, from the front, in profile, with or without wings, alone or accompanied, his cat carries a positive and universal message. Today, he is a well-known and recognised symbol of good humour.
As for wild animals, those that cannot be tamed and are very often threatened, L'Insecte honours them and advocates an ecological message through them. Revealing the beauty of endangered fauna and flora is one of his main sources of inspiration. Over time, wood has become his favourite material for creating his works. Always recycled, he hunts, treats, sands and paints it.
Realistic, naive, illustrated, the animals are infinitely varied and the walls speak to us of social phenomena, nature or simply say hello with a smile.
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