Equality
In depth
On a wall of 220 square meters at the Franse Vaart we applied a monumental painting in collaboration with Ghent based artist Letterknecht. Letterknecht chose to apply the word equality. The wall has unfortunately been a temporary intervention. But even though the wall will disappear, the message is one that will always be remembered.
The site we were working on was a blind spot in the neighborhood, so to speak, with no clear destination. With the new construction project Keizerpoort, Oryx Projects will give this place new allure with a mix of housing, offices and stores. For Oryx Projects, the experience of the resident is central. And that already starts outside, on the sidewalk. The connection to give the wall a temporary lease of life was quickly made.
In addition to the Equality mural, we invited a number of other artists to tackle the other walls on the site in a graffiti team. On the parking lot of the current Aldi supermarket, the works of artists Marc Eyes-B and Mauche (BXL), Sawer and Skill (Antwerp), Kitsune Jolene and Plur (Ghent) can be found. In addition, artist Cee Pil, Simon Mannaerts, Lobster Robin and Solid painted around the site which was demolished with the Equality wall.
About the
Artists
Maarten is a visual artist who is passionate about spreading positive messages through his street art. He has made many typographic murals in all sorts of places, and also creates images for other physical and digital purposes. The synergy between his grooves and graphics is something that creates a real creative energy. Whatever it is, he always creates something and spreads his passions around the world to discover and enjoy.
Simon Mannaerts (SIMO) is a street artist/ fine artist and parttime bike mechanic based in Antwerp, Belgium. Drawing is his second nature. He makes portraits in oil paint as well as large-scale murals with cans and acrylics. Fascinated by people, animals, movement and psychology. Making up in colors and lines what letters and words can’t describe.
Cee Pil makes quality work at top speed, which makes it a pleasure to see him live somewhere. Through his experience in traditional painting and making hyper-realistic portraits of animals in particular, he is able to skillfully create this unique optical illusions. He combines several images with each other and achieves astonishing results every time.
Street artist and fine art artist from Antwerp now living in Ghent, researching the individuals travel through life in a colourful and sometimes psychedelic way.
Solid paints masks and creatures from separate blocks. These scare away evil spirits and protect the environment where they were painted. As a beginning artist he wanted to show through positive projects that graffiti could also be art. As a driving force behind Wallin', he organises all kinds of projects with mural painting at the basis.
Kitsune Jolene (Jolien De Waele, 1992*) is an upcoming street artist, based in Ghent, Belgium. After her studies in Visual Art & Architecture and an extended period as voluntary assistant to a few artists in the world of street art, she decided to pick up the spray can at the end of 2017. Today you can find her reaching from Belgium all the way to Portugal and Dubai. Usually painting portraits of women, animals, fauna and flora infused with subtle nods to various cultures and myths. On the side she participates in working with a handful of street art minded organizations in the Benelux.
Eyes-B, a painter and graffiti artist based in Brussels, has been drawing since he can remember. He has also now been painting for more than 10 years. He finds his inspiration in the digital arts, design and the macro use of organic elements. He has gradually developed his technique by using more of a “freestyle” approach—improvisation and spontaneity guide his work. Lately, Eyes-B has started putting his classic graffiti aside to focus on abstract painting. The readability of the letter has been replaced by a moving form, images that carry sound. Music is his work’s main driver. The rhythm shapes his strokes and dictate his movements—earning him the nickname of “the conductor ».