The Shooting Gallery is proud to have C215′s first U.S. solo show Smoke Gets in Your Eyes on exhibit until January 7th, 2024. While the French street artist has had current interviews, including this one in the SF Gate and our own exclusive interview, I recently watched this video from February, 2024 and thought it was too good not to share.

The video was filmed for the site Savior Changer, translated as ‘Know Change’ in French, with the interview conducted by Laureline Amanieux. In it, C215 speaks on the role he believes street art should play in re-appropriating urban space, and why he believes a subtle approach enhances an emotional response in viewers. With a statement that may upset some, C215 cemented my admiration of his thoughtful contributions to the current stencil art scene:

Under the influence of a consumerist 20th century there have been lots of artists who have intervened with an “ad” approach, using the language of advertising. You could say that New York style graffiti corresponds in great measure to this frame of mind, where you impose yourself visually on passers by, hammering away at the same message. It could be the repetition of a painted word, without rhyme or reason. It’s a pop art practice which is post-modern and decadent, where it is more or less about deteriorating, imposing one’s self on people’s vision without contributing to a beautification or an improvement in the quality of life for those who live in that landscape. I hope that I belong to the fraction of street artists who intervene in the streets in order to beautify the streets or to add a human element that we all need.