At the largest urban roadworks site in Europe – working to link two highways and to serve certain previously isolated areas of Marseilles – the Rocade L2 (L2 Bypass) Society has joined forces with 48 artists, creating over 36,000m of frescos.
Enlisted by the Society in charge of the project and the Planètes Émergences association, artistic advisor Jean Faucheur guided the artists, with an aim to bring together the local population. Carried by idealism, and not wishing to create simply an open-air museum, “Les Murs de la L2” was based on “the intuition of Street Art”.
The roadworks, which began decades ago, had provided wall-space for local artists. Although preserving these “original” works in its final realization was not possible, over 50% of the artists to express themselves on the Bypass come from Marseille, and some previous artists of the walls have expressed their desire to participate in the venture. This is the case for Crew 132, present on the wall through Dire’s work. At the Florian interchange, the artist offered a retelling of the group’s history.
Dire (Crew 132), Échangeur Florian (2015) | photo © Laurent Carte
This kind of project is surrounded by red tape regarding the environment and the necessary authorizations; the diversity of calligraphy is central. Amongst the 48 artists present here, the majority of established talent agreed to take up the challenge of “creating a link by building walls”. Thus, L’Atlas (b.1978) – collaborating with the Galerie Magda Danysz and recently exhibited at the Maison Guerlain – created a piece which is, as always, on the border of graffiti and Optical Art.
L'Atlas, Min des Arnavaux (2017) | photo © Laurent Carte
As the majority of frescos are only visible from a motor vehicle (40,000 to 50,000 passing through per day), this aspect was at the heart of the artists’ and director’s thinking, ensuring speed is integrated into the creations. Moreover, one of the major challenges is linked to works’ dimensions, with the piece by L’Atlas taking over 1km of wall.
The duo Lek and Sowat – whose work has previously been shown in the Medici Villa and the Palais de Tokyo, under the representation of Paris’ Polka Galerie as well as Wunderkammern in Rome – also wished to be integrated with the environment through working on two walls: “a kinetic structure made of triangular blocks of solid colour, revealing a series of calligraphed letters” and “an immense typography depicting the words ‘Quartier Nord’ (North District), as our walls are situated level with the Arnavaux, near to the flea market”, and so the term in-situ takes on its whole meaning.
Lek - Sowat, Échangeur des Arnavaux (2017) | photo © Laurent Carte
Another famous artist, Seth (b.1972) put himself to the “deconstruction of the movement of two children. From different origins, they each come to meet each other in the same way that the L2 facilitates the meeting of different Marseille neighborhoods.”
These well-known names in Street Art are joined here by younger creators, whose quality of work the project aims to bring to light. Goddog (b.1983), for example, supplies a colourful, graphic work, playing “with textures, block colours and patterns to give movement to each of his works”.
Goddog, Échangeur des Arnavaux (2017) | photo © Laurent Carte
Until June 10, the works will be on display outside of Marseille in the exhibition “À l'échelle de la ville !” (To the City’s Scale), on the Ministry of Culture building, Rue des Bons-Enfants, Paris. But the installation by the two artists Mégot and Le Module de Zeer – taking over the Palais-Royal columns, splendidly contrasting Daniel Buren’s stripes – may only remain in place for a few days, as Buren has objected to their presence, asking for the removal of the Marseillais decoration.
Module de Zeer, Palais Royal | © Jean Faucheur
Amongst participating artists : Brez, Jace, Laurent Card - JL Arnaud, Butt, The outsider, Difuz - Gamo, Moscato, Noyps - Veter, Crew Pm, Yz, Heng - Remy Uno, Crew Tko, Fred Weiss and Tetar.
