Postcard from Marseille, France: ‘Bad Guys’ transform the streets

Above: Street art by Poasson on Rue de Mauvestis, or Bad Guys Street

Bad Guys Street? What were we doing there in a city with as tough a hangover reputation as Marseille?

Reason Number 1: Marseille has evolved. Yes, it still has plenty of gritty urban neighborhoods, but what major urban area does not?

Reason Number 2: We followed the street art. Artists tend to lead the way in transforming dodgy neighborhoods into trendy ones nurturing funky shops and welcoming creative chefs seeking fresh starts distant from tourist zones.

The value of these contributions to the fabric of neighborhoods is slowly being recognized by even the stodgiest of American Chamber-of-Commerce types:

What was once counterculture, displayed on the societal margins, has through the decades evolved many times over to include a viable form of public art that can contribute to the success of communities and businesses in an ever-changing urban environment.”

“How Street Art Can Transform Communities and Help Businesses,” Wendy Altshuler, Forbes, March 23, 2020

So, let this serve as a first installment of art we encountered while rambling.

Above: Sorry to not identify all the talented street artists, but among them are: Vale, Valerian Lenaud; Poasson; Mr. Difuz; Stom 500; Tetal; and Nitram Joke.

Of course the flipside is that “civic improvement” soon impacts affordable housing.

Plus, even worse in the eyes of some locals, invasion by people like us who follow the art.

While we only had positive experiences no matter how deep we plunged into Marseille, one does notice the “Go Home Tourists” train and “No Whitefrication” protest art above.