"Where’s Steve?" Clémence Mira
(2022)

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In a large-scale mural named "Where’s Steve?", illustrator Clémence Mira invites us to spot a portrait of Steve Maia Caniço, a French party-goer who tragically lost his life during a rave disrupted by police intervention due to noise in Nantes. Fourteen people, including Steve, plunged into the nearby river during the chaos. Subsequent protests echoing the question "Où est Steve?" demanded justice for the mishandled night.

Mira plays with the question's dual meaning, merging innocent fun with tragedy. Her intention is to evoke the complex emotions tied to raving during times of crisis, blending feelings of joy, release, fear, and oppression. Mira's dancing crowds, born out of a longing for connection during COVID-19 lockdowns, stand together in the mural—a liberated army of free-spirited bodies facing the viewer. The artwork captures the essence of a community yearning for justice and the freedom to express themselves in the face of adversity.

This work has been commissioned by the q21 Artist-in-Residence program and Bogomir Doringer as part of the exhibition Dance of Urgency.

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