The name IPDO stands for I Pixel di Oplontis (“The Pixels of Oplontis”), a combination of the artists’ Italian roots and their digital-mosaic artistic style. It is an Italian-French street art collective made up of two main members: Francesco and Bruno.
They specialize in creating mosaic artworks in a pixel-art style, best known for their recurring blue characters, the Smurfs, along with other nostalgic icons of childhood. Their works appear on building façades throughout Paris and across Europe.
Origins and Influences
The collective was founded around 2018, when Francesco and Bruno were inspired by the mosaic works of the French artist Invader. They describe their art as a way to bring beloved childhood figures back to life, integrating them into contemporary urban settings, not merely as decoration but as a form of digital street play open to everyone.
Each IPDO piece is composed of small mosaic tiles that act like pixels, forming the image of a Smurf or another playful figure. To date, the duo has created more than 350 Smurf mosaics in different cities across Europe.
The Meaning Behind the Work
IPDO constantly plays with the tension between popular culture and street art. In their creations, the small blue Smurfs transform from cute cartoon characters into visual questions: Who are we? Why do we recognize a character born from animation? How can a city’s walls hold an entire fantasy world?
They have even turned their art into a kind of urban game. Through a custom mobile app, a version of a “Smurf hunt” – users can mark the mosaics they find and collect points, turning street exploration into an interactive adventure.
This initiative transforms street art into a participatory experience, not just to look but to discover, learn, and document. It connects the audience with the walls around them, inviting curiosity and turning the city into a living archive of pop-culture icons.
Official website: https://ipdo.fr/collections/all
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_pixel_di_oplontis/
Among the artists whose works appear in the series of posts on street art and graffiti in Paris: SETH (Julien Malland), C215 (Christian Guémy), Vhils (Alexandre Farto), KASHINK (Maëva Martinez), Vale_Stencil (Valérian Lenud), The Pop Suréalist, The End of Animals (THE END), L’Empreinte Jo V (La Dactylo), IPDO (I Pixel di Oplontis), Mathieu 1976 (Mathieu Dussaucy), DJERADI LUDOVIC (Ludovic Djeradi), JR, Invader, Miss.Tic, Jef Aérosol, Blek Le Rat, Speedy Graphito, Hopare, Astro, Ardif, Ludo, Levalet (Charles Leval), Jo Di Bona, Monsieur Chat (Thoma Vuille), Zevs, Combo CK (Combo Culture Kidnapper), Alëxone Dizac, Tilt, Lek & Sowat, L’Atlas, Romain Froquet, Philippe Baudelocque, Jérôme Mesnager, Vinie Graffiti, Kalouf, Maye, A-MO, Clet Abraham, OakOak, Ender, Mosko et Associés, Codex Urbanus, Ella & Pitr, Dourone, Shaka (Marchal Mithouard), Raphael Federici, Pboy, Sismikazot, Kurar, Gregos, Tarek, Jace, Nasty, Doudou Style, FKDL, RNST, Zepha, Jerk 45, Onemizer, Bault, Polar Bear, Céz Art, Guy Denning, SP38, Zeer, Dume, Tanc, Kaldea, Antistatik, Reso, Woizo, MadC, Jober, Abys, Guaté Mao, Psyckoze, MonkeyBird Crew, Mantra, Aude Villerouge, Loraine Motti, Jean Faucheur, Jibé, Bom.K, Gris1, Aéro, JBC, Le MoDuLe De ZeeR, D*Face, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, 2Shy, Aroe, Babs, Bates, Brusk, Can2, Case Maclaim, Chanoir, Create, Darco, Dize, Gyz, Insane 51, Jaba, Jonone, Katre, Marko 93, Noé2One Mizer, Pro176, Remio, Schuck2, Snake, T-Kid, Tony Noel, Vision, Zenoy
Street Art in Le Marais Paris
Street Art Along Canal de l’Ourcq
LUDOVIC – Urban Chaos
Mathieu 1976 – Angels in Paris
IPDO – The Smurfs on the Wall
The Women of L’Empreinte Jo V
The Pop Suréalist
KASHINK – Paris’ Female Voice
Spot 13 – Paris
La Promenade Plantée – Paris
Street Art Avenue Paris
Street Art in Montmartre
The Giant Mural Project in Paris
THE END OF ANIMALS
The Belleville Character
VHILS – Carved in Stone
59 Rivoli – Alternative Art in Paris
The Children of SETH
Vale_Stencil – Colorful Stencil Art


