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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Lifestyle
Ollia Horton

French street artist brings sketches of hope to Ukraine war zones

"Liberty guiding the people" (Liberté guidant le peuple") after a painting by Eugène Delacroix. The street artist C215 painted it onto the wall at the French embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, 15 May 2022. This work was acquired by the French parliament for its permanent collection. © C215

Seeing himself as a spray painter with a cause, Christian Guémy uses his street art to spread a message of solidarity from France to the people of Ukraine. His stencil works, first painted in the streets of war-damaged cities, are now on display at the French parliament as part of his mission to represent democratic values in public spaces.

Christian Guémy, alias C215, is a French street artist who admits he doesn’t quite cut the typical "punk" figure, suggesting his humble working-class origins haven’t prepared him to be "ironic" enough about the world.

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