Colourful mosaic Smurfs have recently been erected on the façades of various locations in Lorient (Morbihan). This is the work of Francesco and Bruno, Italian street artists with branches in Brittany…

This Smurf perched on the facade of a building on Rue du Port in Lorient ( Morbihan ) is catching your eye. Freshly installed, in full view of passers-by, the colorful mosaic, inherited from the work of the designer Peyo, gives a smiling air to this street corner in the city center.

This Smurf is the result of the urban project of street artists from the IPDO studio (I Pixel di oplontis). Francesco and Bruno are Italian. Since 2018, their Smurfs have been on facades all over the world. You can find them from Paris to Naples, from Bern to Luxembourg, from the Canary Islands to Bilbao, from the Côte d'Azur to Los Angeles. All the way to Vannes, where Francesco has a small studio.

Great success in Vannes

IPDO is now based in Lorient. Five Smurfs have taken up residence there for a week. From the rue du Port, via the Keroman submarine base, or on the Kergroise side. Francesco designs and Bruno creates the mosaic. "We complement each other perfectly," smiles Francesco, "I'm a bit of the "brains" of the business, I draw and compose the projects." On the ground, it's Bruno who places the strings of Smurfs at the right height. "He's a good handyman and doesn't have verti

The IPDO duo put a very large one on the ramparts of the city of Vannes. "We didn't expect the city to like it so much. We put about thirty of them there in total. They're very successful."

Treasure hunt

A success that owes nothing to chance. The IPDO duo comes from the street artist movement "Invader". Whose works, straight out of the world of video games in the 1980s, have invaded and colonized cities across the planet.

"We worked a lot on Invader. And then we got a bit fed up. So we launched our project," explains Francesco. "We made it into a game, by imagining a digital application that allows you to follow the trail of our Smurfs all over the world."

But what fly smurfed the two street artists? "I've been a fan since the 1990s, and I collect them in all forms," ​​admits Francesco. "I'm also a big football fan. We sometimes follow the movements of Paris FC. We take the opportunity to stick mosaics in the cities we visit. We actually have one on M'Bappé, another on Messi."

The Smurfs of the IPDO duo who have just burst onto the street corners of Lorient, should be joined by other mosaics of the same vein. "We will be present at the Jumble gallery event in June 2023. Others should indeed appear..." We are now waiting for the arrival, street art version, of Gargamel and Smurfette...