Flow Wins French Street Art Contest

- The winning artist, Flow (Arnaud Florentin), spent nearly 60 hours creating the samurai-dragon mural, which was his first time painting a large-scale building facade. The artwork was part of the fifth annual Calais Street Art Festival held in August 2025. - Flow's fresco in Calais won the 12th edition of the Golden Street Art contest, which saw 59 French murals competing. The initial selection was made by over 4,700 online voters. - The artist, born in 1978 in Nancy, France, is influenced by Action Painting and Expressionism, often using a "dripping" technique where he projects paint onto the canvas without touching it. - The transformation of Medellín's Comuna 13 was spurred by major public works projects, including the 2011 installation of a 384-meter-long series of outdoor public escalators that reduced a commute equivalent to climbing 28 stories. - Once considered one of Colombia's most dangerous areas, Comuna 13's street art emerged after a period of intense conflict as a way for the community to express its history and hopes for peace. - The influx of tourism to Comuna 13 is now a significant challenge, with an estimated 25,000 visitors each week, raising concerns about the strain on local infrastructure and the preservation of the neighborhood's cultural identity. - To combat gentrification from tourism, Comuna 13 residents have established community agreements that discourage the sale of property to outside investors and limit short-term rentals. - In response to overtourism in Comuna 13, some tour operators have begun directing visitors to other emerging neighborhoods like Comuna 3, also known as Manrique, which has its own growing street art scene.