Street Artist Hand Paints Ancient Ornamental “Carpets” on City Sidewalks

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Interested in tracing the “evolution of ornaments across the history of art,” French street artist Arthur-Louis Ignoré—known also as Ali—inventively incorporates ancient motifs into his graffiti. In a recent series called Carpet, Ali covers overlooked pavements in France and Finland with patterned painted “rugs.”

Ali uses white paint to handcraft his intricate “ephemeral frescoes,” allowing each piece to stand out against its concrete and tar surroundings. In addition to this bold color pairing, each work of art attracts the eye with its apparent ancient influences, which materialize as Hindu and Buddhist mandalas, the geometric forms found in Islamic architecture, and other ornamental details.

On top of offering eye-catching visual contrasts, Carpet serves a conceptual purpose. By placing these impermanent pieces in the streets of contemporary European cities, Ali aims to comment on the fluid nature and “cultural mixing” of these modern-day metropolises.

You can see more of Ali's amazing, ancient-inspired installations on Behance.

French street artist Arthur-Louis Ignoré, or Ali, decorates modern-day sidewalks with intricately painted rugs.

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A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

A post shared by Ali (@arthur_louis_ignore) on

Arthur-Louis Ignoré: BehanceInstagram | Facebook 
h/t: [Colossal]

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Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou was a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
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