From street art to entrepreneurship: the journey of the Parisian urban art dandy
A cartoonish smiley face created in the style of Shadok is inspired by the tag has established itself as a hexagon street art icon. Its designer, André Saraiva, was far from suspecting where his doppelgänger with the fine features, sometimes sporting a top hat but always distinguished by His genuine smile, his six strands of hair, and his cross-eyed stare.
Born in Sweden in 1971, André arrives in Paris at the age of ten.. Of Portuguese origin, his parents, whose father was a painter, had fled the country to chart a new course, far from Salazar's dictatorial regime. Passionate about street art since his teenage years, In 1989, André invented a character that he named Mr A. His jovial face and rudimentary style are inspired by the famous smiley, which is all the rage at this time. In parallel with the explosion of rave culture in England, symbolised by the smiling yellow face adorning the front pages of Western tabloids, André perseveres, at a rate of about twenty per evening, to reproduce his simplified and customised figure on the urban furniture of the Parisian region.
The same year, the young aspiring artist won a first competition for graffiti organised by the magazine The Express.He then opened his own gallery in Paris, André's Haberdashery, where his canvases are sold. A notorious night owl when he's not wandering the streets with a spray can in hand, the graffiti artist becomes from the nineties a personality of the capital's nights. His two passions then shaped the journey of this dandy street artist, recognisable among his competitors thanks to his rock style consisting of a black leather jacket and a denim jeans.
André, Paris's and Tokyo's nightlife artist and baron
In 1997, Japanese patrons, captivated by his artistic fire, invited him to join the Tokyo scene. He found a most favourable reception for his artistic approach there and forged numerous connections which led him to return regularly. Back in Paris, In 2002, he opened the concept store Black Block at the Palais de Tokyo..
Two years later, he flew to Japan again, this time invited to create a mural for the inauguration of the new terminal at Tokyo Airport. He finds himself exposed at the same time to Parco Museum from the Japanese capital. That year, in October, André co-founded with his compatriot Lionel Bensemoun the club The Baron, a true Parisian salon located on Avenue Marceau and whose The logo unmistakably recalls Monsieur A's hat. Henceforth, he applies himself to exercising his talents in two capacities: Artist and entrepreneur. Given its success, its club will then be replicated with annexes at Shanghai, London, New York, Lisbon and, naturally, Tokyo.
Not only does he sign the interior design of clubs, like the Castle, but André is also the owner of several hotels. We owe him the Amour and Grand Amour hotels in Paris, as well as the Miramar in Fonte da Telha, near Lisbon.. This latter, inaugurated for the 2018 summer season, was designed by him with the help of his friend Charlie Hedin, founder of the Danish textile brand Tekla. As for The Grand Amour Hotel, located at Rue de la Fidélité in Paris, It and its largest figure, Monsieur A, 17 metres high.
From a purely artistic perspective, exhibitions of his works are rapidly multiplying across the globe. In 2010, there was Drawings, at Colette, in Paris, where his work had already been displayed seven years earlier for Walt Disney, 75 years of Mickey Mouse. The following year, he travelled to Los Angeles to exhibit his creations at the Museum of Contemporary Art and he is also invited to participate in the Venice Biennale. In 2014, it was atFrieder Burda Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany, that André is exhibiting. More recently, he was seen in 2019 at the CFHILL Gallery from Stockholm.
Another notable feat, For a public commission in Lisbon, he created a ceramic wall with painted tiles.. Curious and multidisciplinary artist, André has also turned his attention to audiovisual work, writing and directing short films, and creating posters for imaginary concerts as part of the «Dream Concerts» series.». He even officiated as Editor-in-chief for the magazine L'Officiel Homme, between 2011 and 2015. He is featured on the cover three times. The Anglo-Saxon publications Oak Street and Exit Magazine have for their part chosen to dedicate their front page to his alter ego Mr A.
Mr A, fashion muse
Carried by its international renown, André Saraiva stokes the creators' desire. In 2014, he became The face of Galeries Lafayette Homme, photographed by the illustrious Jean-Paul Goude. Already, the previous year, he had been asked to perform at the Fashion Week abseiling down the department stores on Haussmann Avenue while customising a 100-metre-long poster2 during a concert by the band Citizens.
From then on, He brings his artistic touch to the fashion world with annual regularity. For the 2015 Christmas season, he is approached by the house Sonia Rykiel for a capsule collection. The year 2016 marked his collaboration with the luxury shoemaker Bally. A year later, we find the street artist signing t-shirts for women's ready-to-wear for the brand. Uniqlo. Then, the following year, it was with the Spanish brand Mango for a collection dedicated to his character.
The inventor of Mr A, courted from all sides, can also boast collaborations with Weston, Belvedere, Kitsune but also with the creator Philippe Starck You Bono, the singer of U2.The latest one, it is Longchamp Who asked him/her to customise his/her iconic bags Le Pliage for a limited edition capsule.
From a simple, primitive-looking tag, Mr A and its creator André Saraiva have contributed to the international recognition of French touch in street art.
