Seth Creates Anamorphic Mural in France
Street artist Seth just unveiled an anamorphic mural in Angers, France for the Échappées d'Art festival that creates immersive illusions across buildings — the post is gaining serious traction with 49 likes and 2.2K views. A DC area pop-up gallery "A Distinct Terroir" also opened February 28 in Friendship Heights.
The artist, Julien "Seth" Malland, is a Parisian who first gained notoriety in the mid-90s for his character-based graffiti. A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, his work often explores themes of childhood, imagination, and innocence in contrast with their environments. His signature motifs frequently include children, often depicted as faceless, entering into colorful, vortex-like spaces. Malland's work is deeply influenced by his global travels, which began in earnest in 2003 as he sought to collaborate with artists from different cultures. This experience led to the book "Globe Painter" and a role in the documentary series “Les Nouveaux explorateurs," where he explored various countries through the lens of their urban art. He often incorporates local traditions and collaborates with local artists to create his large-scale murals. The Échappées d'Art festival in Angers has been an annual contemporary art event since 2016, designed as an open-air urban art trail. The festival enriches the city's landscape with new works each year, featuring a variety of international and local artists who create paintings, installations, and other pieces on city walls and urban furniture. Anamorphic art, which requires the viewer to stand in a specific spot to see the intended image correctly, is a style Seth has explored before. One of his notable works, "Rabbit Hole," was created in a dead-end street in Le Mans and was ranked among the most beautiful street art pieces in the world in 2022. That piece, stretching across multiple buildings, depicts a child chasing a white rabbit into a tunnel of light. Meanwhile, the "A Distinct Terroir" exhibition in Friendship Heights is hosted by Transformer, a D.C.-based non-profit focused on supporting emerging visual artists. The pop-up, located in a former T-Mobile store, is part of an initiative by the Friendship Heights Alliance to revitalize the neighborhood by creating new public gathering spots. The D.C. exhibition features Transformer's "FlatFile" collection, a program started in 2007 that holds over 400 works by more than 40 local artists. To make collecting local art more accessible, each piece is 2D, measures 16" x 20" or smaller, and is priced at $500 or less. The term 'Terroir' in the exhibition's title refers to how environmental factors shape a subject's unique character. The show aims to highlight how the distinct cultural and geographical landscape of the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area inspires its local artists. The gallery will run until May 20, 2026, and will feature artist talks and interactive workshops.
