All posts tagged: Bien Urbain

John Fekner Exchanges “MEMORY” with Brad Downey / Dispatch From Isolation # 43

John Fekner Exchanges “MEMORY” with Brad Downey / Dispatch From Isolation # 43

May 4, 2020

As you watch and wait to see the festering uprisings of workers and the growing crowds of poor and hungry in the US, we take you back to Friday, which was Labor Day in Europe. It was also the release date for this curious and interesting project by the artist and people’s advocate, the New Yorker John Fekner.

John Fekner “Memory” (photo courtesy Bien Urbain)

This unique collection of objects and images and textures called MEMORY is a publication linked by projects that are strung together in a constellation across five decades, a few continents, and pivotal moments that reflect the themes in this New York artists’ activism on the street and through various public interventions. A true innovator, trouble maker, and activator of moribund spaces, its Fekner’s cryptic pronouncements that can read as final judgements and humorous summaries.

“This publication gathers 6 objects edited by projects : a parcel memory from the artist’s archives,” says the description of this limited edition. “It is the result of exchanges between the artists John Fekner and Brad Downey, the artistic director of the Bien Urbain festival David Demougeot and the graphic designers Laura Bouchez and Bart Lanzini.”

John Fekner (photo courtesy Bien Urbain)

It all seems so current, of this moment: with references to broken promises, saving schools, worker’s movements, the remains of industry, government abandonment, citizen participation, engaging memory, beseeching the power of poetry. It’s all of one cloth, and all a wistful piece of our collective memory – now brought to life again.

For more on MEMORY click here for a PDF description
John Fekner “Memory” (photo courtesy Bien Urbain)

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR EDITION OF “MEMORY”

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BSA Film Friday: 09.27.19

BSA Film Friday: 09.27.19

September 27, 2019 ,

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :
1. “Nos Jardins” By Anais Florin for Bien Urbain #9
2. Vhils and his Work. A look into the Lisbon based artist
3. YZ Yseult: Making of the Mural La Marianne


BSA Special Feature: “Nos Jardins” By Anais Florin for Bien Urbain #9

Horticultural Street Art Activists to the Rescue

These gardens have been maintained by gardeners. For generations.

Now the city council wants to take them over to build a new “eco-district” here in the Les Vaîtes neighborhood of Besançon. And the soil tenders say “These are Our Gardens,” resisting the change, insisting on the historical respect they believe these gardens deserve.

After spending many days with them, taking pictures and speaking with everyone, artist Anaïs Florin decided she could help by creating posters to highlight their struggle.

“Les Vaîtes before the eco-discrict” ! She put up some legally, and some illegally in the city center by taking over the bus stop shelter. Viva Les Vaîtes!

Vhils and his Work. A look into the Lisbon based artist

Yes, your grandmother is going to know about Vhils now.

YZ Yseult: Making of the Mural La Marianne

Marianne is a symbol of Republican France. A Marianne is a bust of a proud and determined woman wearing a Phrygian cap. She symbolises the attachment of the common citizens of the revolution to the Republic – Marianne is liberty, egality and fraternity.

The first thing you should know is that Marianne is a symbol in France – capturing the spirit of liberty, equality, and brotherhood/sisterhood (Liberté, Equalité, Fraternité). Commonly depicted as a proud and determined woman wearing a Phrygian cap, Marianne symbolises the attachment of the common citizens of the revolution to the Republic. 

Street Artist YZ and engraver Elsa Catelin have just finished their view of the heralded symbol on the streets of Périgueux (Dordogne) – and it actually became the new face of Marianne stamps. Selected by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, YZ had the opportunity to meet him and see her work unveiled across a 16 meter by 11 meter wall.

French President Emmanuel Macron poses at the end of the inauguration of the newly printed stamps with French national symbol “Marianne” designed by French-British street artist Yseult Digan aka YZ, in Boulazac, southwestern France, on July 19, 2018. Photo by Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images.French President Emmanuel Macron (C), poses at the end of the inauguration of the newly-printed stamps with French national symbol “Marianne” designed by French-British street artist Yseult Digan aka YZ, in Boulazac, southwestern France, on July 19, 2018. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP) (Photo credit should read NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Bien Urbain Presents “Artistic Path on (and With) Public Spaces (Besançon, France)

August 29, 2011 , , ,

Bien Urbain
Brooklyn-street-art-bien-urbain-france«BIEN URBAIN» is an artistic path in a popular city center district and the University campus of Besançon – France that aims at promoting art in public spaces just next a rich historic architecture.
The invited artists, all coming from the “street art” scene, are used to work with different kinds of tools and materials to create their own pieces of art: painting, paper, pasting, wood sculpture…
Once they have taken over the place, they finally start to make their ideas come true, revealing sometimes abandoned or unused spaces!
The event will take place every year at the end of summer, invading the town block by block.
Street art spread worldwide: many websites are updated every hour, presenting new crazy artists everyday, whereas in France a small number of events tend to promote these artists

BIEN URBAIN will contribute to make people realize the power of art on our everyday life perception on museums, theaters or clubs, and also on the streets!
For us presenting such an event is a good way to question everybody on our public space using. «Where is the place for art when ads and grey walls are everywhere? How to enjoy public spaces then?»
Moreover we are very proud to promote great artists and give them the possibility/chance to travel with their art in the best conditions.

As an inaugural issue, we wanted to welcome some of our favourite artists. So we got in touch with them and gladly realize that they really looked enthusiastic about our project!
Nine European artists and an Argentinean artist will be part of the artistic crew in September 2011.

ESCIFAfter a classic graffiti life, escif has developed a beautiful and poetic way of painting the everyday life on walls. Through simple scenes, he returns the context with an «mise en abîme» process: the painting wall is not just a wall, it is a canvas where escif paints another wall!

MONEYLESSThe Italian artist known as Moneyless uses geometric tools to reveal strange spaces: abandoned landscape, woods or temporary urban zones. The tension with his sculptures and the quiet space where he makes them create an unreal, ghostly third dimension.
SAM3
Painting his large black figures all over the world, Sam3 is about to come to France for the really first time. His really sensitive work combines huge painting and introspective scene. He also has an experimental way of working on fabulous stop motion films.
NELIO, TBLR*ONE & ZEROZEDRIP

They are three French guys who love pastel colours, old wood, abandoned things, geometric shapes and urban explorations.
SAN
One of the finest spanish street artist, SAN is first of all an amazing drawer who emphasise weird walls into great and disturbing pieces of arts.

For further information regarding this art festival visit the official site:

http://www.bien-urbain.fr/

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