To oppose mass tourism, street artist Toolate proposes a radical solution: giant tourist traps. These installations are visible in ultra-touristic strategic points of Nice.
“I like to press where it hurts, black humor is effective to catch attention,” confesses the street artist. Catching attention, it’s a successful bet for Toolate. It must be said that these giant tourist traps, both disturbing and amusing, don’t go unnoticed. Whether in the alleys of Old Nice, on the mythical Promenade des Anglais, or on the pebbles of Nice facing the Mediterranean Sea, they catch the eye.
They really catch the eye of the targets of the trap, the tourists, whom he does not hesitate to call “nuisances” in a tweet with cutting humor. It must be said that the strategy is well-oiled. On his Instagram account, he doesn’t hesitate to share his guide for “reducing the number of tourists on the Côte d’Azur ”, step by step, all with a touch of irony.
The locations are strategic. And it’s true that the lure is tempting. The traditional cheese placed on a mouse trap is replaced by a tempting ice cream. The trap itself is large enough to capture a human. Once the “nuisance” is captured, the mysterious anonymous invites them to “enjoy a clean city without pollution and trash”.
“I noticed that tourists could spend an hour in line to buy an ice cream cone. I thought it would be easy to capture them with this kind of bait,” explains the street artist. And the artwork comes to life, because the irony of the situation is that tourists pose with this “Tourist trap”.
In his sights: the “climatic bomb” that the extension of Terminal 2 would represent
Interaction with the public is sought after, but it’s not Toolate’s primary goal. He wishes above all to convey a message, “make people ask the real questions about the core of the subject”, emphasizes the author. The core of the subject is overtourism and its harmful effects.
“Mass tourism is a real problem in our region and to make things worse, there are plans for an extension of Terminal 2,” he laments. “This project is a climatic bomb, which will worsen existing problems concerning air pollution, but also the Mediterranean, which is the first victim. Not to mention overconsumption of water, or even housing problems for locals…”, he lists.
In total, three traps have been crafted by the artist. They move at his whim. Keep an eye out, if you’re walking along the Côte d’Azur, because the installations are expected to soon appear on the Var coast.
