Graffiti that isMade in Toulouse
Whether pioneers, Toulouse locals or invited guests, so many artists have left a tag, a mural or a piece of graffiti on the walls of the Ville Rose. Delve into the world of graffiti.
Toulouse was a pioneering graffiti city
The Arnaud-Bernard quarter is the cradle of graffiti
At the end of the 1980s, this form of expression was unknown in France and Toulouse natives Mosquito, Tilt, Soune, Tober, Cee-T and Fastoche were its pioneers. Influenced by New York hip-hop culture, they covered the walls and derelict sites of the Arnaud-Bernard quarter, situated in the city centre, playing cat and mouse with the local authorities.
This district witnessed the birth of Truskool, an artists’ collective from the 1990s that, most notably, loved to use paint bombs on the walls of the disused tobacco factory. Creative, passionate and talented, this band of graffiti-loving friends featured 2pon, Der, Cee-T, Soune and Tilt. They formed a group that quickly became hugely influential and whose works could be seen all over the world. Alongside them, female artists like Fafi, Miss Van or Melle Kat also developed their own styles and techniques.
Rose béton, street art festival
The 2019 edition, under the artistic direction of Toulouse graffiti artist TILT, will be mentored by artist Tania Mouraud. A new mural will be revealed every month in Toulouse, allowing international artists free rein to express their imaginations. To mark the occasion and in the context of the twinning of the city with Atlanta, Toulouse will host the artist Hense, among others, who will create a piece in a public space.
Alongside these murals, other installations will be on display across the city, whilst Les Abattoirs (the museum of modern and contemporary art) will host an exhibition dedicated to the godmother of this edition and her guests from September 2019 until January 2020. The coming year promises to explode with colour and art in Toulouse!
From notoriety to respectability
Graffiti was born on the street: in Toulouse, the ephemeral works of the period have nearly all been erased or covered over, but that hasn’t stopped this urban art form gaining acceptance and respectability. Toulouse is the second most dynamic city in France, and yesterday’s vandals have today become renowned artists that are officially commissioned to bring colour to the city’s immense walls.
Reso, Miss Van, Maye are all on display during the Rose Béton or Mister Freeze festivals, in art galleries and in more unusual locations, such as the chambers of the Hôtel des Beaux-Arts or the Villa du Taur. As for the McDonalds fast-food outlet on Place Wilson, it has sought out the skills of Toulouse graffiti artist Mondé.
