Dan 23, the eco-graffiti artist from Strasbourg who raises awareness

This is unusual Alsace! The graffiti artist Dan 23 is from Strasbourg, but his notoriety is international. He has been painting with spray and brush since the 1980s in cities around the world. Electrical cabinets, bridge pillars, old ugly walls, neighborhood buildings are his favorite supports. Its goal: “to raise awareness about ecological and climatic issues”.

You must have encountered him near you. A bird, an insect, a mammal in colors very vivid ; often a sentence which accompanies his works, and at the bottom of the drawing, in a small square, three letters and a number: Dan 23.

You are in front of a work of street art (urban art) of the graStrasbourg artist, born in 1971 in Szczecin (Poland), selected by the city of Paris in 2012 to paint a building among “the 100 most famous graffiti artists in the world”.

“It’s Dan, like Daniel Bussière. And 23 because my mother is from Creuse. I lived in Creuse. 23 is a number that has always accompanied me,” explains the artist.

Dan 23 grffe in cities since the 80s. His pictorial technique“ comes from watercolor with which he began. Today, he paints with a spray, but also with a brush, which gives a particular and unique character to his works. urban.

Spotted by hip-hop musicians, Dan 23 is first brought to perform on stage in graplaying live while the bands play : live painting. He is one of the first artists to create works in such a configuration.

In 1994, he arrives in Strasbourg to study drawing. It starts has graffiti humanists on the walls “for fun” : Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks… Curiosity pushes him to take an interest in their speeches, their messages and their struggles. He notes that they all have one thing in common: “the desire to preserve our Earth, the environment, and respect for Nature”. Dan 23 then said he was touched by “ecological faith”.

I want to make those who look at my graffiti aware of the destruction of life. I hope it’s not too late

He then decides to paint animals and insects to make “realize” to the populations of “the destruction of life”. Dan23 invests in the electrical wiring cabinets of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), then other cities. He is regularly arrested by the police for his graffs which he carries out without any authorization. His works were immediately erased and repainted by municipal services.

But touched by the sensitivity and talent of the artist, the director of Sirac (Information and automatic traffic regulation service) of Strasbourg, gave him authorization to paint on its street furniture. It’s the beginning “of a true artistic movement which is born in this city. From now on in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin)the electrical cabinets are almost all painted by artists, “the City supports us, helps us and makes our works a contemporary tourist and artistic argument”.

Dan 23 considers that his paintings are primarily an educational tool. It aims to raise public awareness.“Of course I am a committed artist!”. In his workshophe exhibits his paintings and his painted vinyl records. “All my paintings are named after a song. Music is at the heart of my life. I paint in music”. On his website, each of his works is accompanied by a musical extract.

Author of several art books which relates his work in cities around the world, Dan 23 has just released a new book of these graffiti entitled “Another world is possible, another look at the destruction of life”. “ I am offering this book for free to anyone who comes to see me. I printed 10,000 copies.”. He adds that “all the figures that I give on the situation of the Earth and the climate and which accompany my drawings are sourced.

Dan 23’s painting workshop is located at 126 Grand’Rue in Strasbourg. Entrance is free. You have to go through the Delphine Courtay Gallery, take the opportunity to discover the artist on display. A small sliding door on the left opens to lovers of street art and urban art. All visitors receive the booklet free of charge, Another world is possible.

You know an unusual place or character in Alsace and you want to make it known ? Do not hesitate to contact l’Alsace insolite by e-mail [email protected]. Unusual Alsace, a collection of reports to discover on france.tv.