From Banksy to Invader, during confinement street art finds a second wind online

They usually have the walls of big cities as their playground. Confinement requires, it is via social networks that street artists communicate and express their concerns, in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic.

“I made this mosaic of Doctor House four years ago on the wall of a Parisian hospital, but it has never been so relevant. Well done to the caregivers who save lives, ” published one of the stars of the community, Invader, on Instagram.

Like him, many artists around the world see their works take on a new dimension with current events. This is the case for the street art star Banksy but also for his followers.

"People ask me if it's related to the coronavirus," says Eddie Colla, about one of his frescoes of a woman wearing a mask, with Chinese ideograms around her face.

“I made it eight years ago , tells AFP the artist confined to California. It is a work that deals with fear and isolation, from the outside that begins to threaten your immediate environment, concerns that seemed less relevant at the time. "

Anguishes of the moment

Same feeling for Ender (ender.artiste), who populates the streets of eastern Paris with cherubs, gargoyles and children. "The work I did last year is completely in line with what we are going through , " says the stencil artist who painted a section of a prostrate woman on a wall. blindfolded, as if hostage of a situation which escapes him.

“It fits perfectly with this idea of ​​confinement since it is in a very small space. She is oppressed, completely in the current idea ”. At his feet is a label marked "fragile", like the name of the Ender project, relating to vulnerability. A theme echoing the anxieties of the moment, between fear of the epidemic, fears for the future and difficulties in living confinement.

What regret not being on the street to display? Not really, says the artist, confident that he is a bit out of inspiration, even if he works on canvas at home.

"I need to walk to get ideas, to take transport, to have the body in motion to have the mind in motion and there it is a little more complicated," he admits.

It is quite the opposite for Angel Crow (angelcrow95) who never stops drawing in connection with current events, even if he can no longer "exhibit" . "I have a lot of stuff to stick because since all this time (the beginning of confinement, note), I have created a lot of things," he says, showing characters behind bars and virus men belonging to his latest achievements.

The artist took up the subject "when the virus began to gain ground in the world" , via a character representing a doctor of the black plague ("Señor cuervo señora peste"), the last that he stuck in the Parisian streets, before they are deserted.

Digital exhibition

Result: it is on social networks that street art enthusiasts have fun. "People share the photos they have taken in previous months, they react much more to photos ... which is great for showing our work differently," said Ender.

No question for him to challenge the confinement to stick on the walls .. And push the curious "to go and look for them". Especially since culture is currently experienced in digital mode, adds Eddie Colla. A trend that street art does not escape. He himself will be involved in digital exhibition projects. "A first," he says.

Aware that they can play a role, street artists do not hesitate to get involved: this is the case with Invader. For those who would benefit from confinement to follow in the footsteps of its mosaics and list them via its FlashInvaders application, there is a surprise which comes down to a simple and effective message: "Respect confinement!"

Le Figaro with AFP