Freyming-Merlebach. Street art: graffiti artist Enots colors the Barrois quarry with his dreamlike frescoes

They're like giant postcards from another world, placed at the entrance to the Barrois quarry. For several months now, these colorful frescoes, which frame the access to the mine water treatment plant, have been attracting attention and inviting walkers to immerse themselves in a dreamlike universe. Behind these monumental works is Pierre Berry, a young 23-year-old graffiti artist.

The young man from Dijon, who recently moved to the Freyming-Merlebach region, came up with the idea for these frescoes while wandering around the site. "I wanted to bring life to these walls that had already been tagged," explains Enots, his artist name. After putting the creatures from his imagination on paper, he set about creating them on these two sections of wall facing each other, starting with the drawing before adding the colors and finishing with the details and shadows.

"Many passersby stopped to congratulate me or take photos," says the street artist, who admits he didn't seek permission. "That's also part of the discipline. What I'm looking for is freedom. I don't see it as degradation," continues the artist, who also offers his services to communities, businesses, and individuals.

The Dijon native, who has already created several works in Burgundy, started at the end of his high school years, five years ago: "I felt that studies were not for me," says the man who nevertheless tried to enter the Beaux-Arts before setting out on his own. He develops his magical universe made of mystical creatures and landscapes from another world: "I really like the work of Hayao Miyazaki (creator of the Studio Ghibli animated films , editor's note), I think that plays a role in my work."

But these frescoes are not the first works he has created in the Barrois quarry . The artist also practices land art , a technique that uses the landscape as a medium to create ephemeral works using natural materials. "I have already created several works in the quarry. I use natural pigments to draw patterns on the ground that can be 30 to 50 meters long." To get his bearings, he uses a drone to get an aerial view. "It also helps me immortalize the drawing by taking photos and videos."