The first graffiti on the rue de Tunis in Sète appeared in 2013, and among them those of Agnès, a resident of the street and Dépose, an artist from Sétois.
Agnès Baylaÿ Monttelet was one of the first people to start painting on the walls of Rue de Tunis in Sète. “I don’t pretend to compare myself to all these artists. I paint locally”begins the septuagenarian. Still armed with her little paintbrush, Agnèsa began by painting the entire facade of the Petit Lieu, “which I continue to refine very often because acrylic paint, over time, becomes faded.”And this is not the only one of her works that Agnès reworks, as soon as she has a little time on her hands, she comes to put a little concrete back on certain walls whose plaster is falling off. Or add other touches of color.
She always participated in street events
Based on rue Fondère since 2017, she and her husband have participated in events organized by Pascal and Josy since the beginning of their stay in Sète. “We met in the 1990s. And then by coming to their event at Lieu Noir we ended up settling here permanently.”After the facade of the Petit Lieu, Agnès participated in the portraits of Brassens, she also painted plant containers, stones next to the discomaniak and others. His last room and a door right in front of his apartment on rue Fondère. “No one dared touch it too much because there was a work on it, but it had aged a little badly so I allowed myself to tell a story.”
The artist Depose also remembers his first work on rue de Tunis.
Depose, a well-known street artist in Sète, is one of the first artists to have painted on the walls of this unique street. He remembers it very well. “I painted a big bubble flower. It was in 2013 I think, and then I did lots of other works in the street.”Other flowers to spot. But also birds and others. “It has always been a pleasure for me. This street is like a small principality in Sète, he smiled. Pascal and Josy gave an opportunity both to people who were starting out but also to other people, not in the graffiti world, to be able to express themselves.” Among the tags and other graffiti there are numerous works that have been created by visual artists. “It’s really a place where all forms of street art are represented. Everyone comes with their own graphic identity”complete Removal. For the moment he has no plans to return soon to paint in the rue de Tunis, even if “I wouldn’t say no if Pascal offers me a big wall” he concludes, bursting out laughing.
She accompanied Josy in music in the street
For many of Josy’s street pieces Agnès was his musician and a performance in the street particularly marked her. “It was during the inauguration of Naoui’s work at the entrance to the street (the one that looks like a boat coming from rue Euzet, Editor’s note). It was still during Covid, many people from the street participated. At the end it seemed like they were all getting on board the boat and just talking about it still gives me chills. It was magical”remember Agnès.
Pascal and Josy’s bet has therefore been successful, Agnès really feels at home. “What I like here is that it is a reflection of the reality of today’s world. But it is also a tangent, almost an imaginary street which shows reality.”
