Paris is an archaic city filled with breathtaking architecture and monuments. About an hour outside the city center in Grand Paris Sud, you’ll also uncover a stunning array of vastly growing street-art. Developed in 2015 by the Grand Paris Sud Seine-Essonne-Sénart conurbation, the Wall Street Art Festival has become an annual event that celebrates modern art. For its third edition, local gallery owner, curator and street-art enthusiast Gautier Jourdain brought artist Case Maclaim to paint a fresh new mural, titled “”Pile ou Face.”
About the Mural
“Pile ou Face,” French for “Heads or Tails” is a thought-provoking addition to ‘La Grande Borne’, a suburban inlet that’s part of Grigny. The mural discusses the European Union and Brexit, using the silhouettes of the 12 stars that form the European flag in the background. Maclaim is known for his ability to create skin and hands that have movement. An incredibly vivid motion, he painted a large hand flipping a coin over the European flag. With a design of hyper-realistic elements, it also stimulates awareness and discussions as to what will happen to the European Union once Britain exits.
About the Artist
A founding member of the renowned East-German Ma’Claim Crew, Case aka Andreas von Chrzanowski has been a photorealism pioneer for over two decades. He primarily uses the medium of spray paint to embrace the power of movement through the universality of hands. “Power” and “movement” have individually played key roles in the backbone of his German roots. It’s encouraged him to communicate a strong message of unity by overlaying the hands. However, this overlaying “movement” is not just the physical body movement or political movement, its broad context allows the viewer to reflect and visualize the remaining story. Having travelled to over 20 countries he has literally left fingerprints in each, using hand gestures as a language that speaks to all.
About the Wall Street Art Festival
Originally called Street Art Festival, the annual event has developed Essonne and Seine-et-Marne into a cultural destination. Founded in 2015 by the former community of Évry-Center-Essonne, the festivals most recent curator Gautier Jourdain owns a gallery in the 13th arrondissement and is a street-art connoisseur. Gathering artists from all over the world to create monumental works, it’s become a successful attraction to the area that’s praised by both locals and tourists.
Case Maclaim: facebook | instagram
Wall Street Art: facebook | instagram | twitter
