Mario Kart

On a brick wall of a passage, a familiar childhood icon reappears in an unexpected place. The French street artist OakOak painted Mario from the classic Nintendo game series, seated in his go-kart, as if ready to race along the railing. With his signature 8-bit pixel style, the character seems to transform the handrail into a racetrack, inviting passersby to see the city as a playground. OakOak is known for his witty interventions in urban space, where he combines humor, nostalgia, and pop culture. By inserting Mario into this mundane stairway, he disrupts routine movement with a flash of imagination. Though small and playful, the piece connects generations through a shared video game memory. It turns an overlooked corner of the city into a joyful reminder that public space can also be a place of creativity and fun.

OakOak (France) is a street artist known for turning the everyday cityscape into a playful visual playground. Born and based in Saint-Étienne, he began intervening in the streets in the mid-2000s, transforming cracks in the pavement, broken walls, pipes and road signs into witty, unexpected characters. Using simple paint, sharp observation and a mischievous sense of humour, OakOak creates small interventions that make people stop, smile and see their city differently. His works blend pop-culture references, cartoon energy and clever site-specific ideas, proving that even the tiniest detail can spark imagination. Though he keeps his identity anonymous, OakOak’s creations have travelled worldwide through festivals, books and exhibitions, yet they always remain rooted in the joy of discovery. With each piece, he reminds us that art doesn’t need a big wall or bold colours to shine; sometimes, all it takes is a tiny joke in the right place.