An important part of my work is sharing it, explaining my work, the stories and the people behind the words I paint, as well as my personal journey. Thank you to @le_grand_palais , @la_villette for organizing this event at La Virgule, in Morlaix, France.
Photos by Spag Bertin
Mamadou chose the word « Soudés » (united / welded in french).
Mamadou is 19 years old and lives in La Fauconnière, a typical French council estate in the low income suburbs North of Paris. The neighbourhood was built in the 60s and is home today to thousands of families, of which a majority have immigrated from North Africa, Sub-saharan Africa and the Middle East.
Mamadou, whose parents came from Mali, chose this word to describe the feeling of his diverse yet united neighbourhood.
As usual I painted the mural freestyle without a plan or any form of sketch. I painted it in the heart estate, making references to the neighbourhood in the patterns. The black and white chiseled zigzags represent the buildings from above, the green equilateral triangles represent the shape of the neighbourhood and the blue waves are for the nearby swimming pool which gives the name « square des sports » to that specific location in the estate.
I was thrilled to be able to work on « Share The Word Project » in a French estate. I’ve been painting the words of people who I feel are ignored since 2013, self-funding murals in slums and refugee camps around the world. But for a huge mural like this one, self funding was never an option, and I want thank Le Grand Palais in Paris for giving me the opportunity to paint Mamadou’s word as part of their « Histoires d’art à Gonesse » project.
Big thank you to Vanessa, Martin and Margaux for organising this! Thank you to the owner of the building I3F and Ville de Gonesse ! And of course thank you the inhabitants for being so generous with me!
«Canopée» on a 10×12 meter wall.
I painted this on Edouard’s wall in Moult, Normandy. He works in the wood industry and I therefore included sipo leaves in the design.
As usual, I was free to play with the letters and had great fun freestyling this one!
“SUEÑO” (“dream” in Spanish).
Dream is a word I’ve painted twice on #ShareTheWordProject.
It was given to me by an Iranian refugee who was on his way to the UK, and by a Cameroonian woman working as a prostitute in France.
Dreaming is a driving force I relate to very strongly. Believing in goals that seem impossible to reach is what enabled me to cycle around the world ten years ago and then become an artist.
40x50cm on art paper. Art for sale. Contact me for more info!
Sarbet – 40×50 cm, acrylic on canvas.
In the same tones as the last one.
Artwork for sale, send me a private message for more info.
Kera – 40×50 cm, acrylic on canvas.
Going fully abstract without letters on this occasion.
Artwork for sale, send me a private message for more info.
“Family” in red and blue! 
The first time I was asked to paint the word “Family” on #ShareTheWordProject was in a slum of Addis-Ababa in Ethiopia.
I had fun painting this with a smaller colour scheme than usual. I just love red and blue together!
40x50cm on art paper. Artwork for sale. Contact me for more info!
“Joie” (joy) painted for Brasserie Duchmann !
A great week of art on their premises! Massive thank you to Clara and Axel for the warm welcome!
Since I don’t have sponsors, it is thanks to my clients that I’m able to do art projects in slums around the world.
I painted “Bons Vivants” for craft beer brewery Brasserie Duchmann in Oise, France.
It was a pleasure to spend a few days with the lovely owners Clara and Axel! Great beer and great moments spent together!
The MNK96 is officially 25 years old today!
The MNK96 is a group of fans supporting the S.M.Caen, a football club in Normandy playing in the french leagues. It is with this group in the football stadium that I started to paint, and design banners, flags, scarves and all sorts of displays.
The MNK96 is my art school and a second family. My friend Spag Bertin and I were pushed to create art in the football stadium by the older fans who contributed to making us artists. We learnt our trades, and made friends with people who have come and helped on many different episodes or Share The Word Project. Of course there is my friend/assistant Dudu, and Abdul Malek, Nono and of course El Afghani!
Can’t wait to be allowed back in the stadium for more fun and creativity!
Picture of Spag Bertin and I, representing our crew outside our borders.
