The Goldmine
Taquen

As our third artist, The Goldmine welcomed none other than Spanish artist Taquen to New Ghent. Taquen was inspired by the neighborhood for his wall, which can be found at the beginning of the Kikvorsstraat. And he found this in the story of the local mascot, Pino the stork. This has been a recurring element in New Ghent for years and so has its permanent place on one of the centrally located lampposts.

Usually storks come in pairs, but Pino is always alone. So why more than one stork on the mural? Because Taquen noticed that there are many migrants living in the neighborhood who, like the birds, have spread their wings. Taquen deliberately colored only the storks, leaving the rest of the brick wall untouched. As such, he did not want the residents to feel that the work was calling to them as they passed. In fact, he left when the work was finished, but the neighbors will have to look at his mural for years to come.

In addition to creating the mural, we invited Taquen along to the printing studio at Atelier Desmyter. Based on a woodcut, they made a print together that directly links to the work in New Ghent.