Street artists can come up with some fantastic ideas that are not only eyeball grabbing, but intricate too. You’re certain to find such street art in Paris, the capital city of France. The credit for this goes to Ardif, a young French artist, whose detailed street art showcases hybrid creations – half animal and half architecture.
Ardif divides his gigantic animal murals into two halves, one-half animal and the other half, intricate architectural constructions. His work on paper even figures in art galleries and art fairs, such as the Urban Art Fair in Paris.
The architecture found in Ardif’s murals is not surprising since he has not only studied architecture but was a practicing architect until recently. His interest lay in modern architecture, where he developed minimalistic designs in his buildings. But, when he started studying history of architecture, he was smitten by gothic and classic architecture.
It’s Ardif’s fertile imagination that made him think up hybridization between nature and architecture. He was eager to explore all kinds of shapes, texture, and expressions that nature presented. And the result was hybrid murals of animals. He’s inspired by architects, such as Constant Archigram and Lebbeus Woods.
In an interview with widewalls.ch, Ardif explains, “When I draw, I always start with the animal, I use the composition made by nature to inspire and create my ‘mechano-architecture. It’s a game of contrast. I want the public to discover my imaginary world with a familiar figure and be intrigued by the juxtaposition it creates.”
Ardif scans the drawing of animals he has sketched on paper or canvas to create Paste-ups for making street art. His tools usually are poscas and pencils, and he’s always experimenting with different mediums.
The best part is Ardif doesn’t have any favorite animal. He enjoys the diversity that nature presents. It’s his way of giving visibility to this variety in the urban space that, according to biologists, is headed towards the sixth mass extinction. However, his street art is not preachy and doesn’t deliver any message to the audience. He likes people to find their own message in his work.
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