Hidden in plain sight... By Auriane and her squad!

Street art is a contemporary artistic movement started in the United States of America in the 70s. It arrived in Europe at the beginning of the 80s. Many variations now exist like stickers, mosaics, stencils and street installations. At the beginning, graffiti was just a small-sized signature of the street artist; it later became more elaborate. In Riom, there are many examples, namely by a famous local street artist called Rino. That's him in the photo!

Here is another example of graffiti. It shows a woman smoking. Behind her is a stained glass window. It’s a trompe-l’œil; it's as if the woman is standing looking out of her window. She is realistically drawn, there are contrasts, and it’s very colourful. She looks like a pin-up "icon" from the 50s; she is wearing a sensual red dress and she has a blue flower in her hair.

This work of art was made using a stencil. Its subject is utopia. It is on a wall near a river in Riom. Street art is everywhere in this town, if you know where to look. The philosophical text reads: “Utopia is on the horizon. If I move two steps towards it, it moves back two steps. If I walk ten steps more, the horizon moves ten steps back too. But then, what is the use of utopia ? Its purpose is to make us walk…” We often think that graffiti is just drawings and scribblings on the walls, but it often carries real meaning.

Here is another type of street art. If you stand in the right place, the name “RINO” appears. The word is written on several beams and on the wall. It is a stunning example of anamorphosis. It was risky to paint too. It’s in a luminous place. The artist wrote the word in black to contrast with the white walls.

This is a painting of an African landscape. It takes up half the wall so we are in total immersion. It is very detailed despite the height of the work and shows off the artistic skill of the artist. There are baobabs, the sky is yellow and orange and it is obviously a very hot day. “FREEMALI” is a political statement inviting people to support the liberation of the people in this African country. The African mask is made from a spray can, symbol and main tool of street artists.

Riom is a small place, but it has true street art masterpieces. We loved taking the pictures and writing this article because we discovered a wonderful if little known aspect of our town.