French Street Art Duo Ella & Pitr Inspire Through Cross-Cultural Mural Residency in Zimbabwe

The Alliance Française of Harare is currently hosting celebrated French urban art duo Ella & Pitr for a special artistic residency in Zimbabwe, running from July 12 to August 3. The pair, globally renowned for their monumental murals and poetic street art, are blending French creativity with Zimbabwean tradition in a unique cultural exchange.

Hailing from Saint-Étienne, a city in France known for its coal-mining and industrial roots, Ella & Pitr have grown from humble beginnings painting on city walls to becoming global icons in the urban art world. Their murals—featuring giant, whimsical figures lying across rooftops and landscapes—have appeared in countries as far-reaching as Chile, India, Norway, and Portugal.

Their residency in Zimbabwe has been a deeply collaborative and transformative experience. After a week in the Matobo Hills, the artists returned inspired by their time spent with Ndebele women painters, who introduced them to ancestral techniques using natural pigments.

“Sharing those (too short) days with women painters in Matobo just woke up the desire in us to come back and continue to paint and share time with them,” the artists shared. “The rhythm of life out there is perfect for staying connected with others, sky, and earth… a beautiful place to create peacefully, and laugh a lot.”

Ella & Pitr found the artistic exchange deeply intuitive. “Those women are very close to us in a way because painting is painting,” they said. “When people exchange about technique, it’s very easy to understand each other all around the world—because the translation happens through gesture.”

A highlight of their time in Matobo was an evening spent under the stars, enjoying a meal in a traditional hut. It was there that a local woman, Soneni, shared unforgettable gifts: the tale of the turtle and the spirited frog dance known as ixoxo.

Back in Harare, the artists have turned their focus to Budiriro 2 Secondary School. In collaboration with students, local residents, and the CaliGraph collective, they are co-creating a large community mural that explores identity, creativity, and public ownership of space.

The residency will culminate in a vibrant, free public event on Sunday, showcasing mural tours, visual art exhibitions, hip-hop performances, and video screenings. The celebration will bring together community members and art lovers for a day of creativity and cultural exchange.

Looking ahead, Ella & Pitr are preparing for an eventful year filled with exhibitions and a touring show in France titled Fermez les yeux vous y verrez plus clair (“Close Your Eyes and You’ll See More Clearly”). But for now, their hearts remain in Zimbabwe.

“This place reminds us why we started,” they reflected. “Art is not just about walls and paint—it’s about people, stories, and the spaces we share.”

Through their work, Ella & Pitr continue to transform public spaces into poetic canvases, using humour and humanity to explore themes of fragility, memory, and time. Their Zimbabwean journey is yet another chapter in their mission to connect worlds—one mural at a time.