Paris gets a colorful splash of Olympic creativity with nearly 30 vibrant pieces of street art on bustling metro station walls, the airport and giant billboards in front of City Hall.
One shows a drawing of French fencer Ysaora Thibus in action. Another features rowing boats on the River Seine. Others are enjoying the bustling district. The original art spread throughout Paris and other nearby host cities surrounding the Olympic and Paralympic sites.
„During this Olympic Games, people from all over the world are very energetic,” says JonOne, a New Yorker who has lived in Paris for the past three decades and has seen graffiti in the street art world. Pioneer. The four currently on display in train stations, airports, taxis, digital screens and billboards. He is one of the six famous street artists from the continents.
The artists were selected through a campaign run by Visa to support small businesses. They are from France (Marco 93 and Olivia de Bona), Brazil (Alex Senna), Australia (Vexta) and the United States (Swoon).
„Why not use street art?” Joanne, 60, whose artwork can be seen in many places, including the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre in Paris. It took two months with five collaborators to complete the blue, white and red abstract expressionist style graffiti covering a 250 square meter wall at the busy station.
„It projects a lot of energy and youth culture,” he said. „It’s a good time to show our artwork.”
The campaign was designed as an open-air exhibition curated by Nicolas Lagerou Lasserre, an expert in urban art. 28 pieces of original artwork will be on display until September 8.
„Like high-level athletes, artists share the values of tolerance, openness, questioning and self-transcendence,” he said, having organized more than 50 exhibitions with public and private institutions, including one at Paris City Hall. „Combining art and sport is one of the cornerstones of Olympism.”
Each work exemplifies the spirit of neighborhoods such as Saint-Denis, Montmartre and Rue Montorgueil – capturing the vibe of the cafés, bookstores and shops that have become an essential feature of Paris and the wider Ile-de-France region. They can also be found at Lille, Lyon and Marseille airports, hosts of some Olympic events.
„We asked artists to show us their version of Paris in a more authentic way,” said Juan Arturo Herrera, business executive and marketing executive at Visa International, who last month lit the Olympic flame in the 200-meter race in eastern France.
„Street art is the most accessible of the arts,” he said. „It’s universal. We’ve been seeing it in cities for decades. It’s made its way through museums, and we wanted to bring it out again. We see it as the largest exhibition of open air art in a public space.”
De Bona, a Parisian, takes pride in bringing her artwork to audiences from her hometown, family and around the world.
„It’s very moving,” she said. „I see how art makes my city so beautiful. It’s a privilege to represent France to all these people who come to Paris from all over the world.”
De Bona, 39, remembers street art and graffiti when they weren’t widely accepted by the public. But now, she sees a positive change in perception and industry, which was once male-dominated.
„People want pictures on the streets,” he said. „It’s about welcoming the arts. We’re a bridge between people who think they don’t belong in a museum. We bring art to the people. It’s our way of expressing ourselves and being.”
Marco 93 said his passion for street art spurred him on with the skeptics’ words. At a young age, he was fascinated by the evolution of graffiti during the 1980s hip-hop era in New York, which he called the „promised land” of graffiti.
„It’s all about persistence,” the 51-year-old said during his live performance, drawing a fencer across the scene. „Art is about persistence. This passion drives us to move forward and push beyond our limits.”
One day, JonOne wanted the arts to be reintroduced as a competition in the Olympics.
Art competitions were first introduced at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. The International Olympic Committee ended the competition at the 1948 Games, and an attempt to bring it back four years later was rejected.
„Artists are like athletes,” said JonOne. „I respect athletes in basketball and running. Art is not really a sport, but it should be included in the Olympics. Living as an artist is an Olympic sport.”