Under the arcades of the Place Masséna in Nice, in 2021, old Galeries Lafayette posters were pasted "in the wild" and used as a support for the work of Jennifer Miller and César Malfi. This is the second time in 2021 that the group has called on street-art street art for these "fortnights".
"The artists did two days of live painting, which allowed for exchanges with customers. We only had very good feedback", says Emilie Mancini, marketing director of the Nice Masséna shop. In ten days, the photos of the painted arcades were shared more than a hundred times on the networks. "With street art, we are in line with the desire to modernise our image, it's the trend.
Towards recognition
Indeed, "having an Instagrammable wall" is a good way to get people talking about your business. The AC by Marriott Hotel recently redid the walls of the staircase leading to its rooftop terrace. Before arriving on the rooftop, we have this point where guests take pictures of themselves, we see that they like it," says the hotel manager, Nicolas Martin. Generally speaking, we host a lot of artistic events in our hotel, it is part of our DNA. With this Venus mural, we are reminded of the work of Sosno on our façade. That's why he called on César Malfi, "it's art that doesn't necessarily require a special installation but that has an effect". The particularity of this artist is to reconcile the so-called "validated" art and that which is still in search of legitimacy.
But "graffiti is no longer frowned upon, it is an artistic style in its own right", Emilie Mancini points out. This is why Samuel Benzazon has turned to street art for his mixed martial arts club, Maccabi. "For a long time, graffiti has been disparaged. They are simply artists who express themselves in their own way, on different media," he comments. There is a real parallel here with the practice of MMA. It has only just become normal in France, even though it is a combat sport like any other. As with street art, there is a real evolution of mentalities.
The one who took on the task of dressing the ceiling of his room on Michelangelo Street, with a nod to this Italian painter. It is César Malfi. The 26-year-old from Nice mixes the Renaissance with "urban art". I prefer to use this term because it's not just in the street anymore," he explains. I'm happy that people trust me to make places more dynamic. ARM, in Sophia Antipolis, even asked us to work with the illustrator Eric Garencebecause they wanted to improve the quality of life of their employees through our work."
He adds: "As long as the person feels something when they see what I do, my work is done. But I will continue to paint city walls, that's where I started and it's part of me. He is currently finishing a fresco under a bridge on Avenue de Fabron.
Street art in seminars
The Nice-based artist César Malfi created "team building" for the first time this summer. "The idea is that all the employees participate in the design of a common work in their premises or on accessible walls, as at the Tête de chien, to strengthen cohesion. Private companies have been asking him more and more for the past two years. He will soon be working with a French bank and will be doing a live painting at the Château de Crémât on 28 November.
Elise MARTIN
