Home / Art

Geometric Sculpture Perched on a Freeway in Marseille


Belgium-based artist David Mesguich's newest public sculpture, Pressure 1.0, is the second of his outdoor, larger-than-life geometric installations. Much like his first project, Luz 1.0, Mesguich uses angular pieces of polyurethane and recycled plastic to construct the bust of a woman staring outwardly at the urban landscape.

Mesguich's inspiration for Pressure 1.0 came from more than 10 years of trespassing and graffiti, so it's not a surprise that it was technically unauthorized public art. The artist and his team installed the piece at an elevated freeway, known as the entrance of Marseille, France. He described it as “… a non-place where the sculpture could look in the direction of Africa and face the whole city at the same time.”

Despite its illegal placement, the sculpture remained untouched for two weeks. After a bad storm, however, the sculpture fell to the ground and was seriously damaged. The weather lasted a week, and everyday a new part of it was broken until nothing remained.






David Mesguich on Behance
via [Colossal]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content