Shadow of Fire

Overview

"I paint shadows," says Zevs, who under his real name IS a theatre actor here, but his explanation shades the full story so to speak, Zevs is also looking lor a thrill. He roams Paris on his scooter In the dead of night scavenglllg tor likely targets. When he finds a victim - a shadow cast by a tree, traffic light or one of the city's many outdoor sculptures - he pulls on a camouflage stocking to hide lus identity. Then, with startling speed, he uses a brush to trace the shadow's outline in stark wllite paint. Within ten nunutes, he's finished and ready to vamsh Into the night. "I started doing graffiti when I was about 13," says the 26-year-old artist, who chose his 'nom de plume' after a tram designatedleV5 nearly crushed him as he lJillntedln the Paris metro. "But I got bored TrJClng the shadows IS more gralifYlng. There's a certain mystery to It " Once Zevs has outlmad a shadow, a kind of optical illusion OCcurs whereby, the dark shadow within the white border becomes an even deeper black. "It's like doing the white outlines the police trace around dead bodies," he says while tracing the silhouette of a trillflc light near the louvre. "It's become an obsession. Now when I see a shadow, I think about how and when I can paint it." In recent weeks, Zevs's graffiti has taken on a monumental face. He pamtsd the sprawling shadow of the Caesar statue near the Rue du Cherche-Micil. HIS most recent target was a shadow cast by the Pont du Carrousel bridge that links the Louvre to •the Left Bank's QUcli Voltaire. Now he's considennq taking on the Eiffel Tower, "There's a certain element of suspense that makes It exciting," he says.

Perhaps some of the excitement stems from the fact that graffiti is against the law In France. The city used to erase only the graffiti on public monuments, but the mayor's office recently Installed a special brigade to efface graffiti on residences. "I've Iiild a few run-ins with the cops," concedes Zevs. "But that was when I was doing traditional graffiti. Now the reaction IS more benign." As if to prove his point, on this night a police van slows down to see what the be-stockinged artist IS dOing. After a brief pause, It drives away. Zevs looks up, stunned. "That's the first time that's happened."