Street Artists: Mademoiselle Maurice
French artist Mademoiselle Maurice made a big splash at the 2013 ARTAQ Festival in Angers, France, with more than 30,000 pieces of origami that she composed into two amazing street art installations. Embodying street art’s populist roots, the people of Angers were able to participate in the project by attending workshops to learn the art of origami.
Their creations were then assembled to create a mural on the banks of the Maine river, a geometric pattern at the entrance to the Saint-Maurice cathedral and a rainbow-colored composition on the steps leading up to it. Often creating works of geometric complexity, Mademoiselle Maurice has also created urban installations in Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Street Artists: Julian Beever
There are a number of artists who have mastered the art of pavement drawings, or using chalk to create “three-dimensional” images on sidewalks. Perhaps the best known of these artists is Julian Beever, who has gained an international reputation for his spectacular illusions.
Sometimes called the “Pavement Picasso,” Beever was born in the United Kingdom and studied art at Leeds Metropolitan University. Transcending place, his works have astounded countless Internet users around the world who have been exposed to them through viral emails and postings. The 10-part TV series Concrete Canvas profiled Beever, who also made waves in the publishing world when his book, Pavement Chalk Artist, was released in 2011.