Street art in Mulhouse

Discover a work of art by Fernand Kayser directly at the Tourist Office. This artist from Mulhouse calls himself a superimposer obsessed with the punk imagery and industrial wealth of his native city. Several elements are stacked on top of one another, but not just any elements. So many of the city's symbolic buildings and objects can be found here, can you recognise them.

This part of the wall is an exhibition space occupied each month by a different artist. The M.U.R. (Modulable Urbain Réactif) is a tool for promoting street-art initiated by the Mulhouse association Epistrophe with the memory of the city. You can see the previous achievements and the news of the M.U.R. on the Facebook page «Le M.U.R. de Mulhouse».

Kesa was a graffiti artist for a long time before doing urban collage. Passionate about vinyl, one evening he decided to heat one up with a hairdryer. Seeing that the record becomes soft (and therefore modular), he comes up with several ideas and creates new works (today, he no longer uses the hair dryer). Thus, inspired by music, he creates his own world surrounded by birds and other street animals (birds, cats, mice, rats...).

Located next to the M.U.R., another wall catches our eye. This work by Pierre Fraenkel is a public commission from the city of Mulhouse. Pierre Frankael is an artist known for his messages and puns painted (or projected) in the public space including free billboards.

A couple on and off stage, Jana and Js is a Franco-Austrian duo of photographers and stencil artists working in Salzburg. Their works are exhibited on the walls of cities around the world and in many European and American galleries. Inspired by the city, its ever-changing architecture but also by those who live it, JANA & JS produce works that are intimate, delicate and sensual. Realized in 4 days on a 15m high gable, the artists used the stencil and spray can technique. The graphic elements that accompany the work, represent the facade of the neighboring building in a concern of integration in situ. In the bubble in the top left corner the artist has paid homage to a couple from Guebwiller and Soultz, famous vulcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft.

An angel, a sumo wrestler, a sculptor, a bird, a guitarist... you visualize these characters on geometrical shapes and you know that this is the work of Clet Abraham. This artist has fun hijacking traffic signs with a touch of humor. Yet there is a real message: the artist seeks to criticize the signs because from his point of view, they are the first signs of rules and order. In Mulhouse, there are more than 200 of them! So raise your head to find them, but watch out for the road!

This colourful recycling bin, created by Swiss artist Burstart, lights up the Place des Cordiers.

You will have recognized a new sign hijacked by Clet.

Portrait of Jacques Latscha, doctor born in Mulhouse. It was realized by the graffiti artist Shaka in 2014, as part of the Jam session of the Festival Bozar. Shaka, a friend of the son, made it as a tribute to the Doctor, who recently passed away.

Of course, it's still CLET!

The Amazons is a sculpture representing three women and two men (recognizable because they have a glottis). The figures are created from metal, the specialty of the Mulhouse sculptor Sebastien Haller. This work was created as part of the fil rouge and the Mulhouse grand centre redevelopment project.

In his exhibition entitled «2013: the end of prehistory» Bernard Latuner, a committed Mulhouse artist, contrasts nature with the progress of mankind. He shows the impotence of nature, particularly in the face of machines. Among his paintings, there are also a small number of black and white portraits of animals, «reminiscent of prehistory». The aim of these portraits is to convey a message through the animal’s gaze by not leaving the viewer indifferent and by inviting him to reflect on his life choices.

We don't have to tell you anymore, it is, of course, another work by CLET!

C215 is a major artist on the international street art scene. He has notably produced about twenty works in collaboration with the Orlinda Lavergne gallery and La Poste in Mulhouse itself.

Most of OakOak street artist’s work consists of diverting urban elements and playing with the imperfections of buildings by adding his references. This one was created in 2017 as part of the exhibition «Life is a Game» at Galerie Orlinda Lavergne.

On this square, the gang of knitters, a Mulhouse association of enthusiasts, is regularly active. Initially there was a collective work on the initiative of Anne-Marie Ambiehl (see her showroom 5 rue de la Synagogue), a Mulhouse artist-assembler who invited the embroiderers and crocheters to participate in her work «950 poppies». Then the association of shopkeepers «heart of Mulhouse» launched the project «knit your place» then «knit your city» then «knit your bike» ... The knitters met on this occasion and in the end was born the gang of knitters!

For this multi-disciplinary creator, art should not be framed, whether as a graffiti or street art worlds. Rnst creates magnificent portraits of women wearing bandannas - can you find them all?

Vinie Graffiti created this female figure who changes her hair and clothes according to her environment. Nowadays, she can be seen all over the world and her appearance in Mulhouse, with its leafy hair and colored beads, has made her one of her greatest successes. The work has been ranked among the 100 most beautiful works of street art in the world.

Order from SOMCO during the renovation of the Flammarion building (2016, renovation of the façade, thermal insulation). The constraints imposed by the Bâtiments de France had to be respected, hence the subtle tint. It reads: «Living together - the good as one - we have so little time together - what would I be without you - c you c us».

The work was produced in 12 days at the request of the town of Mulhouse to mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of William Wyler, the man with 40 Oscars, who was born in Mulhouse, and the 100th anniversary of his career. An international artist, Niko Loveletters is renowned for his brushwork and attention to detail. 60 hours of work, 112 kilos of paint and 10 litres of varnish were used to create this work.

Another magnificent artwork by Rnst!

Behind Jaune's nickname is Jonathan Pauwels, a Belgian street artist, who works mainly in Brussels. As he, himself, explains, his work is based on the paradox between the visible and the invisible. Thus, he likes to stage municipal employees and technical agents in often comical situations. Why this type of character? Because, despite the fluorescent vest that these employees ofter wear, they seem to be invisible to passers-by. Based on his professional experience as a sanitation worker, Jaune started to bring his men to life on the walls in 2011. "Those who were supposed to keep the world clean are now harbinger of chaos". About 15 boxes were painted by Jaune during July 2019 in Mulhouse, on the occasion of a partnership between GRDF and the Orlinda Lavergne Gallery.

The Orlinda Lavergne gallery is an important place since it is thanks to its owner of the same name that urban works have developed in Mulhouse. She has set up collaborations for CLET, C215, Jana & JS, OakOak...). The three objectives she has set herself: «to support artists in their creations, to surprise the public and to give the desire and the means to collect works of art».

Another artwork by Jaune depicting a man smoking.

The superimposition of shapes, curved or muffled and coloured, is the work of Fernand Kayser, member of the Schlager Club. Unfortunately, the letters of the sign (on the red strip) have been removed. Can you guess what this store used to be?

A native of Mulhouse, David Zeller created Flexo in 2010. This funny, simple and protean guy comes in plexi and metal. Today Zed has sold 20,000 copies worldwide and can be found in galleries in Tokyo, Barcelona, Kuala Lumpur, Beirut and New York. In Mulhouse, it is on the occasion of a public commission that he installed 6 of them («Love», «Dream», «Dare», «Contemplate», «Persevere», «Have fun») as part of Mulhouse en fil rouge. 1 meter high each, made of Andrinople red powder-coated steel, they are installed in height. Will you find them all?

Another magnificent letterbox by the artist C215.

This magnificent fresco entitled "Hay fuegos que no se apagan con agua" (there are fires that cannot be extinguished with water) is by the artist Spear. Fascinated by both the old masters and contemporary artists, he moves from controlled realism to a more spontaneous, deconstructed style of painting.

On this large fresco, the cartoonish characters and animals in full movement seem powerful. And yet, on closer introspection, they are cracked, as if made of porcelain. The artist William likes to use this Delft blue (which is associated with porcelain), but above all she wanted to show that despite the cracks in life, one must keep moving forward.