SETH

SETH Globepainter / Julien Malland

Urban Art

April 1, 2014

French mural artist Julien Malland, aka Seth Globepainter, is on a mission to spread his art all across the globe. His colorful street art draws inspiration from subjects and symbols from his surrounding, which he incorporates into his pieces. Community members can easily bond with his murals, as he is pretty sensitive to the social and cultural nuances. The artist has painted walls, bridges, and facades all over the world, including Ukraine, China, Denmark, UAE, South Africa, and France, just to name a few. Globepainter said:

I try to remain as free as possible without imposing my ideas. Rather, I seek to question the passer-by, encouraging them to interrogate various subjects by identifying with my characters.

SETH GLOBEPAINTER - Memoire Urbane festival, 2014
SETH GLOBEPAINTER - Memoire Urbane festival, 2014. Gaeta, IT

Seth Globepainter's Murals

Julien Malland, born in 1972 in Paris, studied at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris. When in the 90s, he began leaving his mark on the city streets, he adopted the name, Seth. In 2000 in collaboration with writer Gauthier Bischoff he published a bestselling book about French graffiti entitled Kapital, one year of graffiti in Paris. Following the book's success, they opened a publishing house, Wasted Talent, which focuses on monographs of urban artists.  

Globepainter work is a hybrid of modern expression and traditional representation, which was born from his travels. In 2003, he decided to travel the world to broaden his horizons and see what international street artists are making. All the experiences from his travels Seth recorded in his book Extramuros. The artist is also the director and presenter of the TV serial on Canal+ called Les Nouveaux Explorations which is focused on French mural artists.

SETH Globepainter - Pionnier, 2019
SETH Globepainter - Pionnier, 2019. Screen Print; Print on Fine art paper; 60 x 40 cm

The Art Of Unconsciousness

Through his work, the artist wishes to expand people's unconsciousness. To tap into their dreams and youth, he often depicts themes reminiscent of childhood. Thus he often depicts children in difficult social, political, or geographical contexts, such as the mural Skipping-School in Germany and Keep-in-touch in Ukraine.

In the face of massive globalization, his characters are a celebration of traditions. Wishing to foster cultural exchange and begin an artistic dialogue, he draws simple characters that are always connected in some way to the surrounding environment. Seth said:

It's not about decorating a space but creating a strong image that plays with its surroundings; it's not about covering up a wall but discovering it.

Seth GlobePainter For The Museum Of Public Art, 2013
Seth GlobePainter For The Museum Of Public Art, 2013. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US

On the Other Side

The artist is able to offer viewers multiple perspectives of his work which give it unique meaning. In a world suffering from a global pandemic of advertisements on what to buy and how to dress, his work is there to open a bit of space for imagination to come through. Globepainter sees himself as the one that makes a crack in the door, and it is on us if we will take a step through it and see what is on the other side.

Seth Globepainter lives and works in Paris, France.

Featured image: Photo of Seth Globepainter. All images copyright of the artist. 


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