Exploring Ghent with Chris Dyer

DSC_0285_01
Bue the Warrior and Chris Dyer

In early spring, I had the chance to meet up with Chris Dyer in Ghent, Belgium, while he was visiting the family of his wife, the lovely Valerie. As he regularly spends time in this part of Europe, and in order to avoid getting bored and to take advantage of this time away from Montreal, his home city, he met with the local street artists and ended up collaborating on a bunch of projects. And because Chris is so generous and positive, he naturally became friends with many of them.

DSC_0326_01
Chris Dyer, Bue the Warrior, and Scarpulla

For me, it was an opportunity to explore the city with Chris, to get his take on Ghent and see what he’d painted there. Actually, as he said to me, Ghent should be re-named Bue the Warrior City! When you enter Ghent, you see Bue’s art everywhere. Whether it’s illegal or legal pieces, his art covers a multitude of walls and doors… All of it painted in a joyful spirit, yet always controlled.

While we were walking through the city, looking for some cool spots where he used to paint, Chris explained to me how he improved his bombing technique each time he worked with Bue. It’s the same gratitude you can feel when he speaks about his beginnings in Montreal, where he was invited, in the early 2000’s, to join an exhibition organized by the best of the best,Troy Lovegates and Labrona, after he moved from Peru for study illustration in Canada. What a lesson of humility, when you can hear the admiration and respect for his peers by an artist like Dyer! He also told me about his early life in Lima, Peru, where he began tagging as a teenager while he was part of a street gang.

DSC_0247_01
Chris Dyer
DSC_0256_01
Chris Dyer

Ghent is a small town compared to bigger neighbors like Brussels, but it appears to be an incredible canvas for Belgium street artists and graffiti writers. ROA is the most well-known among them, as are Dzia, A squid called sebastian, Resto, Bisser, Scarpulla, and of course Bue the warrior, just for named a few.

DSC_0183_01
Dzia
DSC_0201_01
A squid called sebastian
DSC_0185_01
Bue the Warrior and Dawn
DSC_0276_01
Graffiti Factory
DSC_0281_01
Graffiti Factory
DSC_0286_01
Bisser, Bue the Warrior, and Chris Dyer
DSC_0331_01
ROA
DSC_0308_01
Bue the Warrior

Thank you very much Chris!

DSC_0351_01
Chris Dyer behind the Graslei, the historical center of Ghent.

Positive Creations in Belgium (Artventures Webpisode #8) from Chris Dyer`s Positive Creations on Vimeo.

Photos by Aline Mairet

Art for a condemned building

1501312_655345354517575_425411380_o
Bisser for Last Breath

I love the idea of Last Breath, a new project out of the UK. The idea is to send one artist into an abandoned due for demolition shortly before the building is knocked down and to document each “last breath” on video. The interventions are done without permission. The idea isn’t completely unheard of, but this first video with Bisser turned out really well, so I’m excited to see what’s next from Last Breath.

Here’s a little something from Tom, Last Breath’s founder, about Last Breath’s work with Bisser:

In December 2013, Bisser gave Blackfriars Cafe in Southwark what it deserved: a one-off beautification before its materiality will be replaced by a residential construction on the back of regeneration plans in the area. Blackfriars Cafe closes its eyes after a brief lifetime of 35 years; half the expected lifetime of a human being. When Bisser finished, we gathered, photographed the work, admired the building and waved Blackfriars Cafe a final “good bye”. With the first beautification and exhibition behind us, we are currently preparing for the next episode.

Photo courtesy of Last Breath