“L’Oiseau Bleu” is an urban art project that arises as a visual meditation on mental health, with a special focus on the female experience. Inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck’s play of the same name—where the search for happiness leads the protagonists on a journey of discovery—this mural proposes a contemporary reading of that same desire: the silent and sometimes invisible quest for mental well-being, emotional freedom, and the space to fully exist.

At the center of the composition is the figure of a woman, bathed in a warm sunset palette that illuminates her face. Her gaze, vacant and distant, is interrupted by a striking element: a blue bird flying before one of her eyes, obscuring part of her vision. This visual gesture is not accidental—it synthesizes an internal tension that many women experience: the simultaneous presence of light and shadow, hope and silence, beauty and pain.

The blue bird, a traditional symbol of elusive happiness, is here ambiguous: it represents both the promise of freedom and renewal as well as the weight of social expectations and the stigma still surrounding mental health, especially within the female universe. By covering one of the woman’s eyes, it suggests how society, gender norms, and the constant pressure to “be strong” can limit self-perception and obscure emotional clarity.

To see oneself and to be seen thus becomes a political and emotional act.

The color blue, especially sky blue, plays a central role in the mural. It is the color of calm, introspection, but also of sadness—a reminder of the complexity of human feelings. In a time when speaking about mental health still carries weight and taboo, blue acts as an invitation to empathy, listening, and vulnerability. The sky—vast, open, and changeable— represents the possibility of reconstruction, healing, and hope.

This mural aims to be more than a decorative piece in the urban space. It is a visual statement about women’s mental health, about the silences they carry and the stories that need to be told. The project is rooted in a feminist and inclusive perspective, recognizing that mental health is a social and collective issue. By occupying public space, “L’Oiseau

Bleu” transforms the wall into a platform for dialogue, listening, and belonging, inviting passersby to stop, look, reflect—and perhaps recognize themselves.