Clet and Florentine street art
Walking through the streets of Florence it may happen to come across strange road signs. They are signals modified by the street artist Clet. Clet is of French origin, but has lived in Italy for many years now. His Italian life began in Rome, where he worked as a restorer of works of art. It will also be due to his working background if his installations are always easy to remove and respectful of historical buildings or monuments.
Clet and "The Common Man"
Some time ago a statue appeared on the Ponte alle Grazie in Florence. The sculpture named "The common man" represents a little black man in the act of taking a step. According to Clet, the work symbolizes the moment in which someone has to make a choice. There are always at least two paths that can be taken and the choices that will be made will affect the rest of life. Also having turned the little man towards the outside of the bridge has its own symbolic importance. The character is suspended above an abyss, aware of the weight that his actions could have. "The common man" was placed on the bridge with great skill and without causing any damage to the historic structure. When it was removed by law enforcement as an unauthorized installation, the locals organized a signature collection to reposition it in the same location.
Clet's road signs
But the best known works of this artist are certainly the modified road signs. Thus a closed road sign becomes a crucifix, a one-way street becomes populated with cute little black men or an obligatory sense becomes Pinocchio's nose. It is a type of art that is not invasive at all, but which always gives a smile. Clet's works can be found mainly in Florence, where the artist has his studio. But modified signals can also be found in Rome, Milan and in all major European capitals.
