The Cats of Paris

The Wooster Collective talks to C215 about his new piece in Paris and how his art can improve a community.

The Paris-based artist C215 focuses on the streets and their inhabitants. In the last year, C215 has come into his own by traveling the globe putting his stencils of the downtrodden in the roughest corners of the world. We have fallen in love with his beautiful and spirited images. We asked him about his latest work—like this cat he painted in Paris—and about his views of public art and community.

WOOSTER: Why did you choose this specific location?

C215: I am placing my stencils in the streets to add meaning to the design I am painting, and to help people to have a complete understanding of my idea. I am painting for myself and street art addicts, and for everybody.

W: What do you think your piece adds to the community?

C215: I hope that painting a nice cat in a gloomy building entrance will bring joy to the kids living here, without annoying anybody. There is also a pet hospital a few meters away. Everybody will be happy.

W: What type of reaction did you get?

C215: A mother called her child to come down and see the finished piece, then proposed that I paint something in the hall, because an old mural was completely destroyed for a long time without restoration. So I quickly made a portrait to replace it.

W: Why did you choose the subject matter you did?

C215: Cats bring joy to the kids, and many people like them. They bring poetry and emotion to everyone. Emotion is my focus, more than politics. Painting in my district without authorization is already making a strong political statement. Painting outdoors for me is being an active and responsible citizen.

W: What is inspiring to you now?

C215: A lot of street artists impress me and give me inspiration (JR, Logan Hicks, M-City, Chris Stain, etc.), but I have my own vision, that I call “Renaissance:” a town where artists are allowed to express themselves, with a community providing as many spots and walls they need, where people can every week watch graphic designers, fine arts painters, and stencil artists place art in the street for free, so that people can find a new sociability.

To see more work by C125, visit his MySpace page. To see more excellent street art, visit the Wooster Collective site.