What is Street Art City?
Are you familiar with Street Art City? Do you dream of visiting a place where urban creativity subtly blends with the hidden side of things?
Our passion for urban art led us a few years ago to discover Street Art City, a magical setting that reveals the charms of graffiti in all its intricacies. Over the years, it has become a true springboard, serving as a residence for artists who find ideal conditions there to give free rein to their talents.
In this article, you will discover a place that is much more than a laboratory for experimentation and the perpetuation of street art , it is also a place for recharging, meeting and exchanging ideas.
Aesthetics and diversity of works, warmth and human interaction, emotional balance…Street Art City takes you into a universe where material limits are pushed back in favor of pure creativity.
I) Street art city, its history
A) Street art city, a hub of urban culture in Auvergne
Street Art City is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, specifically in Lurcy-Lévis in the north of the Allier department. A true symbol of the rise of urban culture in the region, it offers an original and permanent setting entirely dedicated to visual art.
Emerging from the ashes in January 2015 and made available to articles from all corners of the globe, this hub of creation spans ten hectares consisting of 13 buildings and 22,500 m2 of walls, constantly evolving to the rhythm of graffiti and an eternal resurrection of a rich material urban heritage.
Today, there are more than 90 murals in addition to an old abandoned hotel renamed HOTEL 128. The 128 rooms of this hotel are given over to street artists every year to give free rein to their imagination and creativity in these unique spaces.
This once abandoned site has gradually transformed into a monumental collective work which ensures its timeless revival by offering the public a new art above codes and clichés.
B) Street art city, the little sister of Lurcy-Lévis
Street art city is the result of a unique project led by Sylvie and Gilles Iniesta . Thanks to their efforts, Lurcy-Lévis has become a major center for urban culture, particularly street art.
Lurcy-Lévis was originally the training center for France Telecom. But like many industrial sites located in the countryside, it was left abandoned for many years until its resurrection by this passionate couple.
Since then, this complex has transformed into a paradise for graffiti artists from all continents , who have been entrusted with the 13 abandoned buildings that line its 10 hectares. "Cell-like works" inside the rooms of Hotel 128, gigantic murals outside, Street Art City is a large-scale experimental laboratory for different graffiti formulas and techniques.
Each room at Hotel 128 has been converted into a studio, and every year, international stars and graffiti enthusiasts showcase their creative spirit there. Their creations fill each room from floor to ceiling. These spaces also serve as a calling card and a showcase for these artists, who can sell their work at the end of each session.
A crossroads for encounters, a place for experimentation…the site also offers young talents the opportunity to unveil and showcase their know-how to the general public through guided or self-guided tours.
C) Street art city prices
This vast artistic area offers a wide range of visiting options. It is also an ideal environment for getting away at least once a year, for a weekend with family, alone or with friends… Whether it's to recharge, discover art from a different perspective, meet new people and learn new things.
The program for a full day visit includes, among other things, the indoor exhibition spaces, the impressive outdoor murals, the 128 cell-like artworks of Hotel 128 , individual exhibitions and art workshops offered by graffiti artists.
The full price for a visit to Street Art City is between €12 and €20 (for a complete adult tour). The reduced price is €10. For a group of 20 to 100 adults, the price ranges from €9 to €15. The child price for a complete tour of the site is €10 for those under 16. Finally, a snack voucher costs €15.
Just a short distance from Street Art City, you'll find numerous hotels where you can stay. These include Château de Bequin, Le Bois des Nids, Auberge Bourbonnaise, and Laporte Allier. There are also several excellent restaurants nearby, such as Le Relais De Pirot, Le Chuchal, Le Café de la Poste "Chez Marie," and Le Kangourou.
For reservations, you can send your check (depending on the number of people) by mail made payable to Street Art City via Street Art City Béguin n°5 03320 Lurcy-Lévis.
II) Street Art City: The Artists
To date, over 300 artists have already celebrated and showcased the immense cultural heritage of Street Art City through completely original and unique graffiti and exhibitions. Among the emblematic figures are the renowned street artists Zeso, Bast, and Vincent Loisy.
A) Zeso, the Star graffiti artist of Street Art City
Zeso was born in 1978 in a suburb of Lyon. Gifted with an excellent sense of creativity, he began expressing himself very early, at the age of 12, through tagging and lettering . In Street Art City, one is immediately captivated by the splendor of his talent upon entering room 069 of Hotel 128.
Named "No sleep till Brooklyn" by the artist himself in homage to this famous song by the "Beastie Boys", this room invites you to a total immersion in his graffiti universe.
The works Zeso creates there are mostly inspired by his life and everyday experiences. The artist, in particular, makes painting and the desire to create more and more his primary motivation. Like the song that encourages the listener not to fall asleep until they reach their destination, Zeso never gives up and remains focused on his goals.
Painting is the means by which he gives free rein to his imagination. Drawing inspiration especially from Brooklyn, the New York suburb where he spent ten years…Zeso divided suite 069 into 2 universes in order to create 2 atmospheres: a day/night atmosphere and another, “bright colors/black and white”.
This room is a microscopic reproduction of the style and graphic aspects of Zeso's world, whose canvases are named "All day"/"All night" to reflect the place that graffiti occupies day and night in the life of the graffiti artist.
B) Bast in the heart of the city of Street Art
Bast was born on June 8, 1984 in the city of Lons-le-Saunier. This self-taught artist was the resident of room 52. It was only in 2018 that he left, but not before leaving an artistic imprint that continues to inspire passion.
Bast's works draw their inspiration from a profound inner voice. They are characterized by their rich use of color. The use of materials, short phrases, and phonetic spellings also contribute to this fantastical composition.
Bast subtly uses intuitive elements to evoke feelings and emotions in his works. This creates a dismantling of mind and body, from which metamorphosed elements give free rein to the intuition of the canvases.
Completely breaking with convention, Bast, with elegance and restraint, delivers an emotive and touching painting that plays with prejudices and exposes taboos and fears. His talent is simply boundless!
C) Vincent Loisy, a touch of magic at Street Art City
It was only in 2019 that Vincent Loisy truly emerged and established himself as an emblematic figure of graffiti . At the time, he notably proposed a previously untested approach to street art.
Like most of his peers, Vincent Loisy is a self-taught artist who learned to paint on his own through street tagging. From graffiti to portraiture, from walls to canvases, he constantly moves between different approaches: collage, layering, mediums, acrylic paint, creating works with markers or spray paint, etc.
Room 98, which he occupies, is the setting for an exceptional experiment that invites visitors to discover a giant, extraordinary artwork that fills the entire space. This creation breaks with conventional architectural forms and generates an impressive shockwave that leaves no visitor unmoved. All, without exception, attest to the remarkable nature of this room.
Vincent Loisy ultimately delivers works imbued with originality and innovation, amply demonstrating his incredible talent.
III) Street Art City Our Opinion
There's no shortage of creativity here! Adults and children alike will find something to enjoy in this welcoming and generous space. The vibrant energy of ideas, both competing and complementing each other, creates an intuitive and inspiring world for any enthusiast.
The welcome at the site is very warm, and knowing that the buildings evolve with each new graffiti artist makes the experience even more exciting. This unique place, located in the middle of nowhere in the countryside, is truly worth the detour, given the beauty and incredible quality of the murals that enliven the setting and awaken the senses.
IV) Fan of Street Art, hang it on your walls
That there is you know everything about street art city , you are now able to best prepare your artistic getaway in the city of Lurcy-Lévis. If you are passionate about urban art, we invite you to discover the latest creations of our artists; with several thousand paintings , you are sure to find the one that suits you.
