Back in May, the urban art production house Quai 36 began phase one of a public art project in Versailles, organized with Eiffage Construction and Versailles Habitat. Focusing on the revitalization of the Bernard de Jussieu district, an essential locus of contemporary artistic creation, Eron, Waone Interesni Kazki, and Telmo Miel created three murals for the open space.

Working in a neighborhood where 1096 public housing units were built in the 1960s, each artist made their mark with the goal of enhancing the daily lives of its residents. As part of the restoration process, the city of Versailles partnered with Quai 36 to brighten nine facades of the functional buildings, each covering 150 square meters of blank concrete. The first phase of the project was just finished, resulting in new murals by Eron from Italy, Waone Intersni Kazki from Ukraine, and the Dutch art duo Telmo Miel. September 2019 and April 2020 promise new work from Aryz, Jade Rivera, Mona Caron, Pastel, Sainer, or Seth.

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Favoring his fanciful Trompe-l'oeil interventions, Eron created a parallel reality in which fingers and white doves flutter out of a window on the facade. Depicting such open release and the furtive attempt to snatch the flying doves, Eron's mural suggests the fragile state of peace and human behavior.

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Waone Interesni Kazki created a surreal image where whimsical creatures engage in entrancing narrative. Dominated by a large character inspecting a humanoid plant, the fantastical image pays tribute to the French botanist Bernard de Jussie from whom the neighborhood got its name.

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Finally, Telmo Miel introduces an image of a young girl immersed in a book, surrounded by lush greenery, another nod to the French botanist. Through careful color choice and overlapping imagery, the Dutch duo composed fluid atmosphere with soothing strokes to complete the project's righteous mission. Sasha Bogojev

Photo credit by Cédric Pierre / Thomas Coradin / Thinkes Company