You don’t have to be trained in arts to make creative urban interventions. The perfect example is a French street artist called OakoAk. He says he’s just a “pen pusher” by day. His style is not intervening too much the way things are on the street and by adding just a few colors and unexpected lines he makes difference. The urban area and grey streets must be much more fun when colors are added on it: a sidewalk turned in to a Gameboy, a handicap sign into ice water with polar bears on it, and a white electronic box into a snowman. These “installations” are really catchy and fun to spot while walking down the streets of France. The factor of a surprise is what makes this urban artist so special in the street art scenery. That is not some usual graffiti, it’s much much more. Some of the inspiration for amazing art on the street are pop culture icons like the most popular video game Nintendo character ever, Super Mario or Ninja Turtle, reaching out for a pizza box through manhole cover.
OakoAk is a street artist from St Etienne, France , but he is not a fine artist painting in public and his work is never authorised. Completely untrained in art, with full time job in office, he still amuses and inspires people of all ages and different lifestyles. This is what he says about his home town and his art: ” It was an industrial city with many coal mines, now it’s in regeneration and still quite poor. But it’s easily traveled by foot with awkward aspects ideal for art. I saw shapes everywhere, and wanted to realize them.”
Here’s some of his art, maybe you will spot it somewhere in France.
