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| Copyright Blek Le Rat |
This revered street artist is best known for his iconic black rat (anagram of art) silhouettes, symbols of the urban environment and of the fear those invasive marginalized animals provoke.
Blek's style is often compared to Banksy's. Only difference is that Le Rat was stenciling walls while Banksy was still a kid.
While others were doing political graffiti in the 80's, Blek Le Rat started stenciling his rat silhouette on Parisian walls, hoping to provoke others to express themselves in the same way. The preparation( drawing and cutting) of these stencils took him over a week. Around 1981 he stenciled small black rats, bananas, running red men, little faces and a self-portrait.
Graffiti wasn't criminalized yet, allowing him to create a multitude of rats and tanks all around Centre Pompidou and frankly answering inquisitive policemen he was doing art.
After a couple of years the small pieces developed into life size figures.
Inspired by a photograph of an old man from Belfast, he created the Old Irish Man in 1983. This piece, symbolizing civic courage, was reproduced all over France. Other full size images followed. (among others Andy Warhol, a Woman from Bangladesh, Mitterrand, Joseph Beuys, Jesus Christ, Two dogs mating, ...)
His first and last collaboration took place in 1984, when he and Bergu from Surface Active worked together on a stencil fresco on the Louvre's fences.
Le pochoir became a popular way of expression, as referred to in Le Monde(1986) as L'école de Blek le Rat. His pioneering technique added a new perception upon art and design. His work inspired other stencil artists such as Logan Hicks and Swoon.
After some graffiti charges in 1991, he chose a safer method: posters and cut-outs. Working on paper changed his approach towards working in urban space, allowing him to work in other areas freed from the constant fear of being caught.( e.g. self portrait, French Soldier)
He tackled some ancient mythological subjects(Centaur, Faun) and experimented with Michelangelo's (faun, David) and Caravaggio's imagery( Madonna and Tribute to Caravaggio).
His wish to influence social change became apparent in 2003 when he created his American Soldier(2003) to criticize the Iraq war. He pasted hundreds of posters of the kidnapped French journalist Florence Aubenas(2005) throughout Paris and pasted tragic fairy tale symbol Lady Diana(2006) on the walls of Tate Modern.
Aware of the architectural impact of image, time and space, his images are always linked to the social urban environment. It explains why his Greek lady was found in multicultural areas.
His street art raises global social awareness on issues as discrimination, the solitude of the elderly, the homeless, poverty (Woman from Bangladesh), loneliness, people living on the fringes of urban society( Beggars). His pieces have permeated public consciousness and have had a profound effect on people's critical thinking.
Le Rat's art is all about purity of content and imaginative thought-provoking imagery.
Real life passionate rebellion against art imprisoning institutions, now who could object to that?
Watch:
Blek le Rat- Original Stencil Pioneer 2006
Bomb It 2007
Article written by Ann Timmermans
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