Rebellious Ghent & their Street Art Scene
Sorry not sorry! That seems a fitting expression coming from Ghent as they give a nod to the fact that everyone may not agree with what they do, but they really do not care. They have a very long history of being independent thinkers and quite rebellious, from the very beginning.
The story goes as such: Count Baldwin I of the small region of Flanders fell in love with Judith, the daughter of Charles V, King of France. The King did not approve a little count of an obscure region for his daughter and had the couple excommunicated after Baldwin abducted Judith in Northern France. For over a year, the love birds travelled and went all the way to Rome to ask the pope for forgiveness. The pope backed them up and the King of France had no choice but to accept. The wedding took place in 862, and to look more acceptable, Charles V added more territories for Baldwin to protect from the Vikings, setting up Flanders for greater things to come. It would seem that Baldwin & Judith were “sorry, not sorry.”
I can bore you with many examples over the centuries, yet this one is far more current and a personal favorite. The medieval castle of Gravensteen, The Castle of the Counts, in the city center had never been conquered…that is until November 16, 1949 when it was taken by a group of Ghent college students protesting the increase in the price of beer. The only guard on duty was locked up by the students who then barricaded the door with a large cart full of fruit. Banners were hung from its towers demanding the beer price be lowered from 4 Franks back to 3. When the police got wind of it, they came to the castle only to be bombarded with rotten fruit. Public opinion was on the side of the students and no students were prosecuted and they essentially got what they asked for. To this day, each year on November 16th, students of Ghent march to the castle where they proceed to drink beer and dance on the walls. Seems the students were “sorry, not sorry” then and continue to be so now.
Gravensteen, The Castle of the Counts
AND that leads me to another great example of Ghent’s independent thinking and freedom of expression, their amazing street art scene. SORRY, NOT SORRY is the name of a festival & successful street art program (2022 was the 4th year) that brings in local and international street artists to create accessible street art all around the city. With over 400 art locations, they’ve put together a SORRY, NOT SORRY STREET ART MAP so you can create your own walking tour of discovery. Needless to say, map in hand, I headed out to see what I could find.
Please join me on my personal walking tour, which took me on an 13 km/8 mile treasure hunt. I’ll start with some of my favorites…
This work entitled 'Listen to your momma, darling' was elected one of the 5 most beautiful murals in Belgium by Street Art Antwerp in 2020. Painted by the local East Flanders, Ghent street artist Jolene Kitsune, it can be found on the facade of a house on a side street of the Recolletenlei in the city. The owners of this building wished to draw positive attention to the neighbourhood. They entrusted artist Kitsune with the design of a mural that would be visible from the street despite the dense urban development.
Her pseudonym Kitsune is a reference to a Japanese mythological fox that can live up to a hundred years and changes shape into a young woman. Kitsune is an important figure in Japanese mythology that possesses supernatural powers and can assume a human form. It is mischievous, playful, neither good nor bad, but usually wants to do what is right.
'Listen to your momma, darling'
Cee Pil originally from Ostend, has been living in Ghent for many years and is one of the most active artists in town. This mural, The Lion’s Den, refers to the history of this part of the city, one of the oldest areas where there used to be an old castle with a lion cage. He often blends several images with animals into one piece, always creating a surprising result.
The artist, “A Squid Called Sebastian” is another local talent with a large work here called ‘the traveler’. You can find all kind of details talking about his travels and wanderlust and this was created during the recent refugee crisis in Europe. He’s been living in Ghent for many years and has a very international background.
A Squid called Sebastian: the traveler
Erica II Cane & Bastardilla. This Colombian/Italian duo was invited twice for the ‘Gentse Feesten’ festival, this mural was made during the 2018 edition. The only way to see this work in full glory is if you happen to arrive at a time the gate is open, I was not so lucky. Still, it was cool to see the parts I could see.
Bué the Warrior, Alex & Billy and Merny Wenz collaborated on this mural. Bué is a local hero that spread his works all over the city. He also invited often artists from other countries to Ghent. Here is the result of one of those many collaborataions. Inspired by comic books and pop art, Bué embodies the essence of street art by relentlessly painting walls all over the world as a way to interact with people in the streets, gifting them with something simple yet full of joy. His style is immediately recognizable, and not just because of the cute birds in hats he’s painted all over town. Bué now lives in Mexico.
Ghent local legend ROA is famous for his monumental black and white paintings of rabbits, birds, rats, fish and other animals, which he first started to paint on the walls in the surrounding cities of his hometown. The animals, often sunken, skeletal or dead, reflect ROA's pessimistic view on society. He always looks for relevance between the animals that he paints and the neighborhood. Often they are extinct or no longer present in the neighborhood due to circumstances.
Bisser’s Candy War mural references Ghent’s popular “war of the little noses”. The nickname “nose” refers to the traditional cone-shaped purple candy (“cuberdons” in Flemish). The artwork is about the never-ending war among two well-known cuberdon sellers at Ghent’s farmer market.
This work was made during the famous ‘Gentse Feesten’. Bisser is from Leuven but studied some years in Ghent.
Bisser: Candy War
Right next to Candy Wars (above), a beautiful, cartoonish piece by Resto, another local hero that has been painting for many years now. His main goal? Having fun.
Resto
The Belgian artist STROOK, in daily life simply known as Stefaan De Croock, participated in Ghent’s year long celebration of Van Eyck and his famous Mystic Lamb Alterpiece that brought in festivals and street art among other things. At first sight this piece of art shows us two figures that are depicted diagonally opposite each other. Actually it is one single person looking in the mirror, in confrontation with itself. Whereas Van Eyck chose themes in religious spheres, De Croock clearly opts for a more personal approach. A nice fact: the work of art is really Ghent. STROOK used recycled scrap wood from St. Bavo’s Cathedral (where the alter piece is found), LUCA School of Arts, a former supporter café of KAA Ghent and the Leopold Barracks.
The artist, who himself studied at LUCA School of Arts, is known for his subdued silhouettes from weathered wood, which was degraded by time. His work could already be seen from Watou to Mexico City.
STROOK - serene silhouettes
