This French Artist Mended 33 City Cracks With Beautiful Mosaics

As a child, Fanny had already found what defined her style: a mix of geometric patterns and colorful figurative work, often floral, always trimmed with a black-and-white border. 

Her sidewalk mosaics, or flacking, didn't begin until years later, inspired by fellow French artist Ememem. The true turning point came when she spotted a small pothole right at the foot of her building, and together with her eight-year-old daughter, she planted her first mosaic flower inside it. That moment birthed her signature slogan: "May flowers grow on asphalt!" (in French, "Que les fleurs poussent sur le goudron!").

Before she knew it, the press was calling her a street artist acting in broad daylight, and admiring her work. But creating these public installations required meticulous care, starting with the pothole itself. As Fanny shared with us: “It needs to be deep and clearly defined, so the mosaic sits securely without pieces sticking out and being damaged by scooters, bikes, or strollers.” Beyond practicality, the location needs to inspire her. Fanny looks for places that hold a personal or historical meaning: in front of her parents’ former oriental rug & décor shop, outside her favorite bars, along routes she often walks by, or in places with a story of their own.

Once she chooses the canvas, she turns to her preferred medium: durable, non-slip ceramics, which she often hunts down at an open-air dump (landfill) next to a former ceramics factory. She then pieces the materials together, adding unexpected details: small Chinese marbles found at flea markets or from companies' donations, fragments of patterned plates, metal pendants, beads, and other treasures, giving each creation its own unique character.

The final step, the installation, leaves her at the mercy of the weather. She shared her experience: “It can't be too cold or too hot, and it must stay dry for two consecutive days. That creates a seasonal rhythm to my work.

But at the end of the day, why would someone keep dedicating time and allocating creative energy to mending the city's cracks? As the artist shared with Bored Panda: “Nothing but pure joy! It's a wonderful experience that brings me into contact with so many people. From building friendships to exchanging with fellow artists like La Fée des Trottoirs in Montreal, to meeting passionate people who want to start making mosaics themselves and whom I gladly advise... I feel nourished by all these interactions.”

She further added: “What touches me most are the spontaneous reactions of passersby during installation. Homeless individuals whose sidewalk spots I decorate are among the most enthusiastic. Children, and especially grandmothers telling me they play treasure hunt games with their grandchildren, looking for my mosaics... That is truly priceless!”

Next time you are in Dijon, wander the city and see if you can spot all of Fanny Pitoiset's mosaics. Be up-to-date about their locations through Fanny’s Instagram.

Besides her other artistic work, she began making papier-mâché animal mask heads and posting staged, humorously captioned photos of them on social media, which you can explore on her Instagram.