French street artist OaKoAk‘s rather clever, feisty style plays on urban elements that otherwise would go unnoticed. A crosswalk figure parachutes to freedom, away from the confines of living within the box that is his home, while another one gives up the monotony and hangs himself from the post. A discolored, heart-shaped crack in the pavement becomes the most important component in an “I Love You” declaration; a quiet doorstep becomes a piano, its black and white keys a fun contrast to the otherwise monochromatic portal where it is situated.
Born in Saint Etienne, OaKoAk is the artist’s pseudonym (obviously, unless his parents were equally as clever!). Most interesting about his work is the immediacy with which it is created–a series of faces painted on broken concrete pylons must’ve happened soon after he discovered it, and before the city workers deemed the pieces in need of repair. It makes the viewer wonder if OaKoAk walks around the city with paint and supplies on hand for those impromptu strikes of inspiration and opportunity.
