The BNP Paribas Foundation pays tribute to Zahia Ziouani with a monumental mural

Since 1984, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been bringing together and supporting talented individuals who spearhead innovative projects with a strong social, environmental and cultural impact.

Honouring the everyday heroes the Foundation supports

How are we doing this?

Over the coming months, superb and striking portraits created by street artists will reach for the skies, displayed on the walls of towns and cities around France to celebrate the impact of those behind the projects supported by the Foundation.

Through the power of media visibility, the Foundation is giving power to those who take action

Prominence for changemakers in full colour

We’ve chosen to kick off this campaign in France by showcasing Zahia Ziouani, conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento, in an eye-catching and vibrant mural – an impressive 24 metres high and 15 metres wide, created by street artist Sébastien Bouchard – visible from and over the Canal de l’Ourcq in Pantin in greater Paris.

• One of the few women conductors in France, Zahia founded the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento in 1998 in Pantin, where she is from. The orchestra is made up of more than 70 musicians from greater Paris, particularly Seine-Saint-Denis and the inner city. It has been supported since 2015 by the BNP Paribas Foundation, initially through Projet Banlieues, and then in the framework of our actions to promote access to culture for all.
• Sébastien is a muralist whose drawings and paintings have been featured in a number of exhibitions and urban projects. He is particularly skilled at depicting the play of light on faces, using very fine brushes and acrylics in an approach that could be likened to pointillism. He has worked as a freelance art director on art projects in a variety of locations (urban roads, hospitals, nursing homes, wasteland, etc.) and is a member of the muralist collective Label Rue.

Between maestro and masterpiece, there is only a brushstroke:

To find out more about Zahia and Sébastien, and to follow our street art campaign:

From the studio to the street: the inauguration of the mural

It’s no secret that music brings people together, and the inauguration was no exception!

Despite the rain, people of all ages and from all walks of life came to Pantin to see the unveiling of the façade of the BNP Paribas building at the Grands Moulins de Pantin adorned with Sébastien Bouchard’s radiant portrait of Zahia Ziouani.

Dreaming big

Beyond dedicating this mural to the people of Pantin, where Zahia grew up and still lives, and to all the partners and supporters of the Orchestre Symphonique de Divertimento, Zahia Ziouani also dedicates it to young people:

You have to dream big, believe in your dreams, believe in yourself and not give yourself limits. You have to trust yourself, work hard, and the results will follow.

Street artist Sébastien Bouchard also dreams big – in practice! When asked, ‘Can you explain the job of a muralist?’ he simply answers, ‘It’s painting on a bigger scale!’ At 360 square metres, this work is his biggest yet.

This street art mural is the first in a series. Sébastien will be returning to his home town of Nantes to work on the portrait of another young woman supported by the Foundation:

I’m thrilled to be doing portraits of inspiring women.

A picture is worth a thousand words

This artwork communicates many things. It’s the expression of a collective dream of a better, more caring, more sustainable world.

The inauguration was also the opportunity to transmit the values supported and shared by the BNP Paribas Foundation and the members of the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento:

Thank you for this tribute: to me [Zahia], to the orchestra of course, to music, and also to my childhood friends!

“There’s a bit of all of us in this mural” the latter remarked, moved by the monumental mural.

It is also thanks to the talent of Sébastien Bouchard that this single image succeeds in:

• Not only conveying the gesture and movement characteristic of a conductor,
• But the intensity of Zahia Ziouani’s eyes and expression: while she usually has her back to the audience, her face is key to communicating with the musicians.

Orchestral odyssey

Music is a living art form, and what could be better than enjoying it live? This was the gift Zahia and musicians from her orchestra offered at the inauguration event for this unique project.

Eight musicians from the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento, conducted by Zahia, took us on a journey around the globe with pieces ranging from classical music to hit musicals. While the intimate venue wasn’t cold, the emotional experience gave us chills!

After the concert, a ray of sunshine pierced the clouds to illuminate the portrait of the woman whose first name means ‘luminous’, her face beaming from a background of gold made by the golden fingertips of the muralist. This kicked off the second part of the evening: a street art workshop followed by a screening of the film Divertimento (supported by BNP Paribas), which tells the story of Zahia and her twin sister Fettouma, and the creation of the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento.

To find out more: