25 Nov ART MEETS STREET FURNITURE

The timeless beauty of Bellitalia’s planters meets the ingenuity of Yannick Robert, aka YR. He was born in 1973 in Sète, in the south of France, where he soon set about capturing the light and colors! His undying love for the patterns of light would play a pivotal role in his future choices. He begins his career by teaching himself the mosaic technique. His experience builds slowly, starting with the observation of artists such as Gaudi, Niki de Saint Phalle, Dubuff et, Cocteau and Miro, and then continues through several travels. Years later it is a great project; it begins to embellish the streets of Palavas le Flots with intricate and lively decoration of planters and niches along the sea-front. YR himself suggested to the Municipality and the Mayor that he undertake this project and only later, and years later, he learns that the planters are produced by Bellitalia. YR works with sandstone tiles made with Venetian enamel. The creation of the mosaic and the assembling of the various pieces follow a completely personal technique, which at the same time refers to an ancient method adopted by the mosaic masters of ancient Rome. So a set of identities, artistic figures and techniques converge in his way of making art. You could say YR is a free spirit: he applies his unique style, with its fusion of primitive and contemporary art, to everyday objects turning them into living characters, multi-forms; through color, they are infused with a soul; they become unique.