Niki

At the junction where the city meets its university campus, two elements create tension: a double stream of water gushes from an enlarged limestone stone resembling a relic, discovered by the artist about ten years ago near the chalk cliffs of étretat.

This fountain-sculpture, in which water flows but never stagnates, plays on double meanings, a hallmark of Didier Marcel's work. As an organic counterpoint to Auguste Perret's rational architectural designs, the found stone, molded in concrete, exhibits anthropomorphic features, evoking the Venus of Willendorf or Victory of Samothrace.

Situated between the city and the university, between future and past, the artwork Niki simultaneously references the Greek goddess of Victory, the renowned sports brand that adopted her name, and the celebrated artist Niki de Saint Phalle with her iconic Nanas. This convergence makes the intersection a crossroads of styles and eras.