When was the last time you were walking along and saw something so extraordinary that your feet, breathing and brain simultaneously froze?
Well, for me it was May 5th, 2024. About 3 weeks ago. Walking along the main drag (rue Thiers slash rue Général de Gaulle – still haven’t figured that whole thing out.).
This is what I saw:
Literally took my breath away. All 5 x 7 inches (13 x 18 cm) of it.
So then, a couple weeks later, while walking the dogs, I came across two more of these address plaques (IG post below). “44” was not an anomaly! It was a thing. I had to know more, so I set about trying to find the artist. I tracked him down in less than a day with a little help.*
#smalltownlife \o/
So who is this mystery man? Esse Erudiorf (pseudonym) is a Parisian street artist who now lives in Bernay (lucky us!), where he renovated a house and made himself a real studio. Also, on Saturdays, he volunteers at a friend’s stables mucking out stalls and caring for horses. An all around great guy.
“44” totally tickled my fancy: color, nostalgia… Edgy sweetness! Sweet edginess!
A touch of “Occupied Japan” porcelain (a childhood vibe of mine), WWII Japanese propaganda, plus Roy Lichtenstein. In his other work, you’ll find a nod to Shepard Fairey, a dash of Warhol, a pinch of Banksy… And probably other influences I don’t even recognize…
This is my brain on “44”, recreated with Photoshop >>>
Something tells me Quentin Tarantino would dig the hell out of his stuff… There’s something quite Kill Bill-y to some of it…
He places his slate address plaques wherever he’s inspired to do so. Obvs without “consulting” the residents… 😉 Lucky people just wake up one day and have a tiny work of art in front of their home! Apparently they’re all over the 13th in Paris! Quite often stolen. Occasionally stolen and returned to their spot! (Links below to Google Maps for photo walks in Bernay and Paris.)
“Soldat de l’image”
Erudiorf also happens to be an army veteran. For 15 years, he served as a military photographer – un soldat de l’image (does it get more poetic??) – documenting absolutely every aspect of army life for posterity. He travelled the world in this capacity. Afghanistan (twice), Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire, Lebanon, and Sub-Saharan Africa are just a few of the places he’s been to and photographed. I can see how that crucible created this artist…
He shared some of his photos with me:
Pics: Le soldat de l’image; French military life; Filming a reaper drone from inside a C130 above Sub-Saharan Africa. 😳
Despite the recognizable icons informing his art, Erudiorf has his own, distinct voice. His work is a delightful distillation of his influences, passions, and predilections flavored with his personal mélange of aromatics… I find his work unique, compelling, and just plain extra (en français dans le texte).
(That’s just me – Philistine – trying to write about art using metaphors and sh*t. Doing my best here, thx for your indulgence.)
Either way, “44” and his other works blow that Ernest dude’s scrawny saint ladies out of the water (pardon my bellicosity of expression) because they actually elicit an emotional response (other than annoyance)… And for me, that matters.
We had lunch at BOBO. (The only truly hip place in Bernay. Except for maybe Ink Bar. I always go there with people because it’s cool, the owners are bohèmes, it’s one of only two places in Bernay with ESS written into their articles of incorporation, and they always have a vegetarian entrée/plat/dessert.)
Erudiorf’s preferred tools are stencils and spray paint, but he also does uses Asian newspapers as a background, limited edition photos of a photographer friend of his, paint, and more. A child of the 60s (like me), he is drawn to the imagery and themes of the last two-thirds or so of the 20th century. (I told him he needs to watch Mad Men…)
The works below (and others not in the slideshow) are all available at the Quartier d’Artistes gallery in Bernay (address in image below), which is run by Christine Dubos.
Pics: 1) I adore this one. It’s his daughter!; 2) So cool on so many levels.; 3) A very edgy Marilyn.; 4) Kill Bill-y topless (?) gun girl. 💪; 5) A picture of himself in his military photographer days! “Sentinelle” is a reference to a French army operation in January 2015 in which soldiers were deployed domestically. I think it was in response to Charlie Hebdo.; 6) One of his collages with paint, stencil and Asian newspaper.; 7) David Lynch. Love his grays and green on this and Marilyn.; 8) Beautiful cat, surprising colors.; 9) A couple of pieces on wood…. um… slices (what are those called in English? Def not slices… 🤷🏼♀️)
You can also find more work of his at the gallery Le Lavomatik in Paris (13e). I am madly in love with this one and will probably get it, but if you beat me to it, so be it. 
(A good friend said I must like his work in part because it looks like textile art (which has been my thing for going on a couple of years now). She’s not wrong! I did immediately start thinking about how I could nail that edgy sweetness and bold use of color in a textile creation…)
*How I found him: I posted the three plaques on the IG post above and tagged the city of Bernay, the local newspaper and the art museum director asking if they knew who he was. No response. So I texted Pascal Didtsch, who knows everything that happens in this town and everybody. He immediately sent me to the gallery and Christine. Merci mille fois, Pascal ! ❤️
Click this map for a Google Map of Erudiorf’s address plaques in Bernay >>>>
Click this map for a Google Map of Erudiorf’s address plaques in Paris 13e >>>>
Esse Erudiorf on Instagram: @erudiorf
Quartier d’Artistes by Christine Dubos (IG @chr.is2278):
Bernay en anglais 