Ardif was born in Paris in 1986. After dropping out of studying maths, he took an art foundation course to learn about drawing and history of art. This made him aware of his interest in architecture, an art form he had avoided for fear of following in his father’s footsteps. Having got over his complex linked to the notion of legacy, he decided to become an architect himself. After graduating, he set up the collective Concrete Balloons with some architect friends. Their work consisted of creating phantasmagorias inspired by exploring industrial wasteland and old abandoned factories. Their collaboration led to an exhibition entitled “Imachinarium”. “My interest in somewhat chaotic structures comes from that time,” explains the artist. He then got the idea for his first mechanimal, a cat that was half feline, half machine. In the months that followed, Ardif created a whole set of mechanimals. Seeing animals as an inexhaustible source of inspiration, Ardif makes it a principle never to draw the same animal twice. The choice of depicting animals came from his desire to draw people into his imaginary world of machine architecture through figures they know and like.

Given the complexity of his drawings and the precision of his strokes, skills that come from industrial design, Ardif prefers to use stencils. He produces his works in his studio before sticking them in the street. His first collages, small formats, appeared in the streets of Paris in September 2016. Ardif likes the fragility of collages: “For me, the essence of street art remains its ephemeral character”.

His desire to express himself in the street obviously comes from his admiration for street art, but also for New Realists such as Villeglé who tore down posters to put them in museums. “My training as an architect had already led to me taking an interest in the city in order to shape it and give it a new face. However, as an artist, I could do the same thing in a less standardised and administrative way, more freely. I also wanted to participate in this great idea of art for everyone, accessible to passers-by whatever their class or environment. For me that’s what large-scale art should be.”

Influenced by land art, poster artists and giants such as Jules Verne, Hayao Miyazaki and Jean Tinguely, and fascinated by industrial design and steampunk, the artist often produces symmetrical works, showing complete duality, to challenge us about our relationship with nature and the way in which our insatiable quest for new technologies transforms it. “What interests me most about symmetry is the notion of balance. (…) If man hadn’t progressed, we’d still be in the Stone Age, but the technology created must be placed at the service of mankind without being at the expense of overexploiting nature or making our natural heritage artificial. Symmetry therefore also represents a kind of balance between these elements,” explains the artist. His animal incursions in the urban space are also invitations to reconnect with our wild, primitive instinct and animal life.

Ardif’s international career is flourishing with more collaborations, exhibitions and performances in European capitals as well as in smaller places like Le Locle.