Known for his giant frescoes painted on the floor, the Franco-Swiss artist Saype does it again this time in New York, on the lawns adjacent to the UN headquarters.
A new work of 11,000 m² that inevitably resonates with current events, entitled World in Progress II. The fresco actually has a twin twice smaller across the Atlantic, in Geneva, in front of the European headquarters of the United Nations. It is actually a gift from the Swiss confederation to its American counterpart, sealing their friendship on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the intergovernmental organization. We see two children drawn in chalk, trees and sun, paper birds, as well as a farandole of small figures and animals holding hands. A message of peace for current generations with regard to future generations against a backdrop of preservation of the world’s environmental heritage. At the border of land art, the work is ephemeral. Saype indeed uses a completely biodegradable paint, composed in particular of chalk and charcoal.
The street artist had already invited us last year to gain height with the Beyond Crisis fresco. Nestled in the Swiss mountains, at the Prafandaz pass in Leysin (canton of Vaud), the 3,000 m2 work represents a little girl kneeling in front of the horizon, surrounded by a farandole of small characters drawn in chalk.
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