Winter break in Lisbon

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Cane Morto (Italian crew)

How can one not fall in love with Lisbon! When you walk the streets of this city, in tourist areas or less known places, you see art everywhere. Graffiti, tags, and a diverse array of street art explodes on the walls. Add to all the illegal activity Vhils’ UnderDogs project, and you end up going from surprise to surprise at every street corner.

Lisbon was hit hard by the 2008 economic crisis. As a result, a lot of buildings of the city were abandoned by their owners, quickly enlarging the playground of graffiti and street artists making the city attractive to many international artists.

It’s now a kind of “street art place to be”, which is okay, but you soon find yourself torn between the pleasure of discovering new stunning art pieces and frustration caused by having already seen photos of so many of the murals on the internet. Still, better to share the artwork than not, so here’s some Lisbon street art from Cane Morto, Vhils, Créons, Sumo, Exit-enter, C215, Tinta Crua, Os Gemeos, Kraken, Sam3, Ericailcane, and Mr.chat.

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Vhils
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Cane Morto
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Créons (Belgian artist)

Continue reading “Winter break in Lisbon”

In the streets of Paris with Lilyluciole

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Kub

The first time I returned to Paris after a few years of exile in Montreal, I was very excited by the idea of all the art I’d be able to find on the streets. But I rapidly realized that it would be difficult to hunt street art as I used to in Montreal… not the same art, not the same way to catch it. Paris is very intense, always the same artists, at every street corner, seen hundreds time on blogs, Flickr, instagram, etc… not easy to have the sensation of finding something new… not that I hate these productive artists, I really appreciate some and respect all of them, but I expected something different. So I asked someone that really comes from the streets in this city to give me a private art tour, Lilyluciole. Lucky me! What she showed me is not necessarily new, except a few pieces, but what a pleasure to see some precious artists like Kub, Baubô, Kraken, Kouka, Koleo, Sobre, Hopnn, Le Diamantaire, to see the refreshing pieces of my friend Lilyluciole in Paris, to admire illegal art work by Swoon, Stinkfish, InvaderMr Chat, to discover some amazing unknown spots, like the rue de l’Ourcq in the north of the city with walls covered by Da Cruz, Batsh, Sly2, Orfée… and some other spots, the Rue Desnoyers, Les Usines Éphémères. So, here is a personal point of view of the streets of Paris, by Lily and me.

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Kraken. Le Marais.
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Lilyluciole, Le diamantaire. Le Marais
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SOBRE, Lilyluciole. Le Marais
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Da Cruz, Space Invader. Canal de l’Ourcq
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collective work of Lilyluciole and Baubô. Canal de l’Ourcq
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Da Cruz, Lilyluiole ans Zola, Baubô. Canal de l’Ourcq
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Da Cruz, Batsh. Rue de l’Ourcq
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Da Cruz. Rue de l’Ourcq
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Horfée. Rue de l’Ourcq.
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Sly2, Da Cruz. Rue de l’Ourcq.
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Da Cruz. Rue de l’Ourcq.
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A view of the Rue Desnoyers, Belleville
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Koléo, Swoon. Rue Desnoyers.
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Stinkfish. Rue Desnoyers.
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Hopnn. Rue Desnoyers.
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Kouka, Le Diamantaire, Hopnn. Rue Desnoyers.
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M.Chat. Les Usines Éphémères, Canal Saint-Martin

Photos by Aline Mairet