Your TOP 20 Street Art 2021!
14 January 2022Last year I had established your TOP Street Art based on your “Like” on my Instagram account. A TOP 20 that swept up all the works I had been hunting since the birth of the blog. This year the selection is tighter; since only the works photographed in 2021 are taken into account. And of course only your choices count. My preferences are not included in this selection, even if I will add my own personal touch at the end of the article 😉
I must admit that I would never have imagined that Georges Brassens, the former French singer, would one day appear in a Top Street Art! This Top 2021 is really full of surprises. So I’ll stop making you wait and get down to business!
1. Georges Brassens by MAYE in anamorphic version!
The Sète artist Maye has literally exploded the counters! More than 7000 Likes for his threadlike Georges Brassens! This number seems simply surreal to me! But here is the artist’s style applied to a mythical singer like Georges Brassens made the effect of a bomb on Instagram. I am happy to see a French artist at the top of the ranking this year and even happier that it was his first anamorphic work! The characters of this artist offer a poetic, dreamlike and sometimes comical note to his works. If you don’t know him yet, maybe it’s time to take a look 😉
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
2. The fantastic aquatic world of Veks Van Hillik
Our French talents are definitely in the spotlight this year! The artist Veks Van Hillik is on the second place of the podium with a work that oscillates between onirism and surrealism. This artist, born in the South-West of France, makes fun of conventions and claims to be part of the Lowbrow movement. There is a touch of candour in his works, often turned towards the marine world, which always hides a much darker background. Internationally recognized, he now paints his imaginary fishes in the four corners of the world!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
3. Goldsmiths of the stencil: The MonkeyBird Crew
Never two without three. For this Top Street Art 2021 the podium is 100% French. This is a real surprise because with only 19% of French followers on my Instagram account, we can’t say that my followers are chauvinistic!
We don’t need to introduce the Monkey Bird anymore! This duo from Bordeaux has become in 10 years one of the most recognized figures of the stencil world. They handle the art of precision and the finesse of the cut wonderfully. We find in this work everything that characterizes their work inspired by geometric, mechanical,… human treaties combined with the representation of the monkey and the bird… A precarious balance between nature and industrialization.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
4. The pop graffiti poster artist: Jo Di Bona
This post from December 25th has shaken up the ranking! This French artist who plays with the codes of poster artists and pop culture pays a flamboyant tribute to the King of Pop in Montmartre! His acidulous colours and his style are recognisable at first glance!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
5. The declaration of love by Mantra
This work by the Metz-born artist Mantra is a surprise. It has nothing to do with his usual style! This artist, who is passionate about butterflies, or should I say possessed by them, is constantly depicting them on walls around the world. In Bayonne he has created a more personal work, representing his partner, Vera Primavera, a committed South American artist. A magnificent declaration of love, no?
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
6. « Apocalyspe Now » by the Greek artist INO in Athens
The power of INO‘s work is certainly the key to his international success. Discovering his works in the streets of Athens was for me the most powerful Street Art moment of the summer 2021! This work is a call to revolution that can be found in the heart of Psyri in Athens. You can easily understand the discretion of this artist with a piercing gaze who does not show his face. The same goes for social networks, you can always try to track him down, you won’t find much about him! We are surprised that this work has not been censored, which proves that freedom of expression is still important in some countries!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
7. The Spanish duo PichiAvo who re-enchanted Paris
This work, which was produced on leaving the second lockdown, has a very special flavour. In Paris the curfew was on and the weather was gloomy. This duo of artists from Valencia brightened up the heart of the capital, revived the culture in the Latin Quarter and distilled a wave of colour in our hearts. At the time, I went every day to get my dose of graffiti, colours and to follow the progress of the mural and I had the chance to interview the famous Duo. This achievement simply had the flavour of freedom!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
8. The trompe l’oeil of the Mexican artist Carlos Alberto GH
With this ultra-coloured fresco, the Mexican artist Carlos Alberto GH invites us to understand that the future of the fauna and flora is in our hands. This magnificent anamorphic -including 3D- realization jumps to the eyes with its strong colours and its deep contrast. This artist from Guadalajara is a great specialist in 3D. He is a nature lover and represents mainly animals with the characteristic of Mexican artists, which is the extremely advanced use of colours.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
9. The Basque beret revisited by the duo DOURONE in Bayonne
Revisiting the Basque beret is no easy task! Caricatured by the Americans, glamorized by Michèle Morgan; the Basque beret has become a national symbol and we know that in France, touching symbols is not an easy task. It is with brio that the Spanish duo DOURONE has tackled the subject! In a graphic and hyper coloured style they succeeded in anchoring this object of the past in a modern future with warm colours. The glamour is always present and the title of the work “Pensando es un cambio” – Thinking is a change – is more than appropriate. An essential work to discover in Bayonne.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
10. The fortune teller of SWED in Montmartre
This old lady made by the artist Swed has unfortunately been somewhat mishandled by graffiti artists since I was there, but you can still make out her. I had the impression that she was part of the history of the hillock like those fortune tellers who continue to approach the tourists who land on Place du Tertre. If you look at the photo carefully you will notice that Juan Spray has embedded one of his little Sprayitos at the foot of the wall!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
11. RATUR‘s “Dryade” in Saint-Paul-lès-Dax
The artist Ratur was inspired by the legendary traditions of the city, nature and mythology. It is the delicate face of a nymph that gradually appears under his brushes, a spirit of the forest, a feminine divinity of nature that populates the woods, springs and rivers, the majestic setting in which the city of Dax is set. At the crossroads between local and Greek myths, Ratur transforms the laurel in his work into oak leaves in reference to the multi-century-old Nerthe oak, a remarkable tree that continues to grow on the edge of Saint-Paul-lès-Dax and the commune of Magesq.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
12. The Masked Child by RNST in Bayonne
The claims of the Dijon artist RNST are made through a mask or a scarf on the bottom of the face of the children he represents! Super-hero ? Revolutionary? It’s up to you to make your own interpretation! If masked characters are legion in his portfolio, it is in particular to better illustrate the living conditions of an oppressed population that governments muzzle: illegal immigrants, migrants, workers, chant slogans in a silent cry to counter the indifference and injustices of which they are the victims.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
13. The science fiction of the Spanish artist DEIH
The works at the Points de Vue Festival in Bayonne were a real success! This astonishing work, saturated in colour, is part of the series called “The Insider” by the artist. He uses the codes of science fiction with the aim of finding his inner truth.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
14. The very comic fresco of the French duo TITO/MULK
This great fresco by the agitator duo Tito & Mulk is a wake-up call. You can feel a strong comic book inspiration in their work. They have fun unfolding a sort of exquisite corpse on the walls, using children’s words or more intimate reflections. Their “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”, borrowed from Nietzsche, is a response to Covid delivered by a superhero nurse! Their slightly crazy universe couldn’t help but remind me of the cartoonist Crumb!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
15. The sensitive humanoid of PixelPancho
The colour palette used by the Italian artist PixelPancho is a bit old-fashioned and his backgrounds are often reminiscent of the wallpaper we used to see in our grandparents’ homes. The iconography is also from another time, as you can see, the lady’s bibi and her brooch are rather vintage. Her robots have a soul, the colour used brings us back to the past as if they were made with old copper pots that adorned the kitchens of yesteryear. In fact, this artist, defender of the fauna and flora, gives us a glimpse of the future of humanity!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
16. The ornaments of Koralie in Bayonne
Koralie‘s work is very graphic, symmetrical and also dreamlike. I don’t know why, but her work strangely reminds me of the Belle Epoque and its architecture or the jewels of the precious cocottes!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
17. “Hands in Prayer” by Pavlos Tsakonas
This reproduction of a work by Albrecht Durer was produced in a fortnight in the midst of the austerity period in Athens in 2011. A prayer for the city that was suffering at the time. A city and its inhabitants who have managed to get back on their feet and become more and more attractive!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
18. “Breaking Barriers of Equality” by INO in Athens
It really makes me happy to see that the artist INO managed to seduce with his strong messages and his incredible talent! I must admit that this is the most beautiful discovery I made during my visit to Athens! This fresco representing a little girl with a mallet has a very revealing name: “Breaking Barriers of Equality”. A strong statement in a Greek society where patriarchy dominates. INO is not only fighting against the political class but also for the evolution of gender equality in an orthodox country.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
19. The monumental work of Andréa Ravo-Mattoni in Sète
Sometimes, during my street art walks, I make some very nice discoveries! You, like me, might never have visited the Paul Valérie Museum in Sète! Some urban artists like Andréa Ravo-Mattoni have the magic to make us rediscover forgotten museum works like this “Sack of Rome” painted by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre in 1890. This work, which represents a scene of the sacking of Rome, has an unsuspected importance: that of the end of antiquity and the transition to the High Middle Ages!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
20. The community mural of Vitoria-Gasteiz au Pays Basque Espagnol
You have no idea how happy I am to see this work in this TOP 20! It was not created by a big name in street art, but by the inhabitants of this medieval city. It is an amazing, humanistic and multi-generational work, which depicts all age groups of the population. It does not hesitate to point out the inequalities between men and women. They are a ray of hope for parity and for the future. There is a real sense of the avant-garde in this city!
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
3 works I would have loved to see in your TOP 20 Street Art 2021!
You knew that! I can’t help but add my two cents 😉 This year’s Top Street Art is very French and a little Greek… The works from the city of Bayonne are undoubtedly the ones that seduced you the most! With 8 works in the TOP 20, we can rightly say that it is a tidal wave! I am also pleased to find works from Athens, Sète and Paris in the ranking. This is a less international TOP than the previous one, and for good reason, the pandemic has passed through…
Here are the three works I would have loved to see in this Top Street Art, with a few words to tell you why 😉
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
This incredible work by artist Case MacLaim is located in Saint-Denis. The look of this Haitian child turned towards the future is simply magical! This work, full of humanism and tenderness, is close to perfection…
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
I had a magical time in Port Barcarès. The setting sun brought a warm light on the maritime containers repainted by famous artists. With in the foreground this work of KRASER, and the beach of fine sand to the infinity… There was a je ne sais quoi of surrealism.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
This powerful piece by South African artist FaithXLVII was replayed a few weeks ago. I can’t tell you how much I felt. This event is one of the reasons why I want to continue the blog to honour the memory of the works that have disappeared.
What can you expect from the next TOP?
This Top Street Art is so different from the one of the previous year that it is difficult to make a prognosis! With all the articles and discovery trips I’m planning for 2022, I can already tell you that you’ll have a lot of fun in Spain! But I am no certain that you will like the works 😉 To spice up the TOP; the works that were popular this year will be re-posted to see if they still attract the same crowd and I will also add some “Master Pieces” from my archives to make it more complex! Until January 2023, I wish you all a great year and of course great discoveries around the corner!
See you soon for new Street Art adventures. And if you still feel like walking around, don’t hesitate to browse the world map of all my discoveries!
Take Care & See you soon!
Séverine
