Herons Mechanimal (lune bleue), Circa 2020

Ardif  

Born in 1986 in Paris, Ardif is a French street artist who lives and works in Paris. After completing his foundation in art studies, Ardif specialised in architecture. His background in architecture and his taste for steampunk machines can be found in his works. He draws inspiration from pop culture, the cinematographic works of Miyazaki (1941), Star Wars and animals, of which he is particularly fond. 

His art is largely influenced by "land art". A trend in contemporary art, "land art" appeared in the Western United States at the end of the 1960s. Land artists such as Christo and Jeanne Claude, Robert Morris (1931 - 2018) and Christine O'Loughlin (1948) use elements from nature (sand, water, rock, wood etc.) or a natural space to create their works, like Ardif using walls as his support. Land artworks also have the particularity of being ephemeral, as in the case of Ardif, who plays with the ephemerality of his works. Nature becomes a work in its own right.  

Ardif prepares his drawings beforehand, which he then glues to walls. His ephemeral works are characteristic of street art. The artist explores architecture, materials and the duality between the animal depicted and architectural buildings. The artists' works illustrate a symmetry between nature and the industrial world.

Through his art, Ardif creates a giant "bestiary". In this way, he pays tribute to zoology and graphic design. The notion of balance is characteristic of his work as a whole, and this balance is illustrated by the symmetry of his drawings. The composition of each drawing is meticulous and very detailed. There is a striking contrast between the texture of the animals' fur or feathers and the architectural structure. 

Through his works, Ardif tells the story of Man's relationship with innovation and nature: man has evolved by innovating, and each innovation is inspired by nature. There is also an ecological dimension to the artist's work. The part representing the animal is perfectly balanced with that of industrial architecture: if the latter were to take over, this would be indicative of ecological disaster. On the other hand if nature were to take over, insect invasions could occur, according to the artist. 

Ardif also encourages the viewer to question his primary and animal origins. He brilliantly creates hybrid works mixing the industrial and natural worlds. 

The artist's works are world-renowned. Since 2016, they have been exhibited in France, the United States and London. Recently, Ardif participated in the "Feat" exhibition, organised by Galerie Sakura in Paris and bringing together forty street artists for the occasion.