Ememem | |
---|---|
![]() A mosaic by Ememem | |
Nationality | French |
Known for | Mosaics |
Style | Street art |
Website | ememem |
Ememem is an anonymous French street artist based in Lyon. They[a] create mosaics incorporating geometric motifs in cracked sidewalks and façades, a process they call flacking. Ememem creates art at night, so that it is generally discovered at dawn.
Art
[edit]A street artist,[2] Ememem creates mosaics incorporating geometric motifs in cracked sidewalks and façades. They describe this art as "a poem that everybody can read" and "a memory notebook of the city".[3] They created their first mosaic in 2011 in an alley in their hometown of Lyon, although they had already been working with ceramic; since 2016, they have created street mosaics across France,[3] and as of September 2021[update] also in Barcelona (including in the Plaça Urquinaona and Sant Antoni[4]) and Madrid[2] as well as Turín, Genova, Civitacampomarano, and Terracina in Italy, Oslo, Hamar and Stavanger in Norway, Melbourne,[4] Aberdeen in UK and Carlow in Ireland.[5]
Their mosaics can easily be found in Lyon, and some visitors to the city seek them out.[6] In 2021, Ememem was commissioned by the Société du Grand Paris to decorate the location of a new Grand Paris Express stop.[2]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/%22Flacking%22_d%27Ememem_%C3%A0_Lyon%2C_2021.jpg/220px-%22Flacking%22_d%27Ememem_%C3%A0_Lyon%2C_2021.jpg)
In addition to their street art, they have created additional commissions for exhibitions, some of which have been purchased by art collectors.[1]
Ememem describes their art as flacking, a self-coined[7] neologism derived from the French flaque, meaning "puddle" or "pool".[5] They have cited Célébration du sol by Jean Dubuffet as an influence.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Ememem is French[4] and lives in Lyon, where they are known as le chirurgien des trottoirs, "the pavement surgeon"[3] or "the surgeon of the sidewalks".[6] They told Ynet that the name "Ememem" refers to the sound of their moped, which they ride when they go to create a mosaic.[9] They work at night to remain anonymous, and their identity is unknown; their work is generally found at dawn.[2] They have refused requests for in-person or radio interviews, and declined to state their age or gender.[1] They share images of their work on Instagram with the account "@ememem.flacking",[7] which had more than 169,000 followers as of May 28, 2023[update].[9]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Renout, Frank (July 20, 2021). "Anonieme kunstenaar Ememem is 'Moeder Teresa van slecht behandelde stoepen'" [Anonymous Artist Ememem is 'Mother Teresa of Badly Treated Sidewalks']. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b c d Mases, Carlota Bisbe (2021-09-05). "Ememem, el artista callejero que rellena las grietas del pavimento con mosaicos de colores" [Ememem, the street artist who fills the cracks in the pavement with colored mosaics]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b c Ebert, Grace (2021-05-13). "Ceramic Mosaics Mend Cracked Sidewalks, Potholes, and Buildings in Vibrant Interventions by Ememem". Colossal. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b c "Street artist Ememem gives makeover to roads damaged from riot". Catalan News. November 20, 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b Meek, Natasha (April 19, 2021). "The French pavement street artist Ememem from Lyon going viral in Yorkshire". The Press. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b Chuzeville, Baptiste (2021-09-22). "Ememem, l'artiste chirurgien des rues lyonnaises" [Ememem, the artist-surgeon of the streets of Lyon]. Le Tout Lyon (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b Reneau, Annie (2021-05-25). "French street artist fills ugly, jagged potholes with gorgeous, colorful mosaics". Upworthy. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ Rostagnat, Mélanie (2019-10-09). "Collage, mosaïques: les 6 street artistes du moment à Paris" [Collage, mosaics: the 6 street artists of the moment in Paris]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-28.
- ^ a b מוספיר, דר (2021-06-15). "'למדתי את הרחוב כל חיי': האמן האלמוני שמתקן את מדרכות אירופה" ['I have studied the street all my life': the anonymous artist who repairs the sidewalks of Europe]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-11-28.
External links
[edit]Media related to Art by Ememem at Wikimedia Commons
- @ememem.flacking on Instagram
- The Guardian gallery of mosaics by Ememem