Les Enfants du Monde, sculptures by Rachid Khimoune
Les Enfants du Monde is a group of twenty-one bronze sculptures in Parc de Bercy created by artist Rachid Khimoune. Each figure was cast from impressions of street materials such as pavement, drain covers, and asphalt fragments collected from cities around the world.
Artist Rachid Khimoune conceived the idea for these sculptures in the early 1980s after observing children playing in a schoolyard. The works were installed in Parc de Bercy in 2001 and have since been displayed in other locations including Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
Each figure bears the name of a child from a different country and was created from materials taken from streets in their home cities. They show how everyday urban elements like drain covers and pavement connect each place to its unique identity.
The sculptures are located at the top of a staircase in the park with views of a large grassy field and are easily reached on foot from the main entrance of Parc de Bercy. Each statue sits on a small concrete pedestal with a plaque showing the work's name, artist, year, and the country it represents.
Khimoune worked with children to help collect and identify street fragments that were then used for the casting process. He calls the figures 'extraterrestrials' because they were created entirely from materials taken directly from the ground.
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