How One Street Artist Is Turning Signs into Cyclops
You ever walk down the street and feel like something is watching you? Turns out you may be right. But don’t worry, these little monsters keeping an eye on you are anything but creepy — if they’re the work of French street artist Le CyKlop, who’s been transforming public spaces and street fixtures into adorable art inspired by, you guessed it, Cyclops.
Le CyKlop brightens up dull, grey spaces with splashes of brightly colored spray paint, stickers and stencils. He’s transformed street signs, parking posts, and bollards along the streets of Paris into gorgeous one-eyed minions.
And in true street artist fashion, he’s also hit on the growing LEGO trend, turning some posts into LEGO figures that are full of personality. Sure it’s no Bricksy (LEGO street art inspired by the infamous Banksy) but it’s basically the next best thing.
The public art installations are inspired by comics, toys, and the traditions of folk, Greek and African art. Every piece is characterized by one common element: a single eye, referencing the mythical Cyclops from which the artist takes his name.
Le CyKlop isn’t your average graffiti artist. His Parisian home base offers up plenty of competition, from the ever-present space invaders to an entire world of underground art. But what sets Le CyKlop apart is his willingness to transform the mundane into the extraordinary, and give everyone around him a smile while doing so.
Le CyKlop is also probably the only artist to have received support from the Parisian government, which has helped him place his work in museums, at festivals and in galleries all across Europe. His work on thousands of street signs, lamp posts and bike stops will only continue to grow. Next stop, the United States? We can’t wait to see whether he’ll bring a little one-eyed fun to our streets in the coming months.
What do you think of these little monsters? Creepy, cute, a menace to society, or a nice form of self-expression? Let us know below!