Artists transform old warehouse into massive art work

(MSS) After just 10 days, the walls of the giant Monopol warehouse in Gasperich have been transformed into an enormous work of art. Wort.lu/en met three of the artists who worked on the project.

Little over a week ago, the old warehouse in Gasperich was nothing but an empty, dirty space with little charm, or at least that's probably how most people viewed it.

But for artists like Brit Chaz Barrissonn from the graffiti duo The London Police and Dutch nationals Gysbert Zijlstra and Erris Huigens, who together form Graphic Surgery, the warehouse wasn't that at all. It was a marvelous, 'canvas' spanning several thousand m2 just waiting to be painted.

Knowing little about the project, the guys agreed to come and paint along with other invited local and international urban artists like Jeff Soto, The Weird Crew, Sanctobin, Spike and many others, all prominent artists in the world of urban art and graffiti.

“It's a great project and although we've been working from 10am to 8pm, you don't stop to look at your watch because we're enjoying what we're doing,” said Chaz, a self-taught graffiti artist known for his iconic LADS characters which he paints together with his colleague Bob 'One Eye' Gibson.

The Dutch duo, on the other hand, met when they were studying art and graphic design in Amsterdam, where they began doing art projects together. By putting up posters in different cities, they started making a name for themselves.

“I always had a hard time calling myself an artist, perhaps because of my background in graphic design. But lately it feels quite good to say,” said Zijlstra.

Chaz added: "That label ('artist') accompanies so many different things, but I would consider myself and these guys (Graphic Surgery) pure artists. What label you give to your artistry depends on the way you do it and the label changes according to your environment, I think."

Historically graffiti has often been linked to vandalism, but through the years the genre has developed and become an integral part of fashion, illustrations and graphic design. Graffiti artists are no longer limited to painting underground train carriages or city walls illegally, and, as many find modern graffiti an appealing art form, artists have established a solid platform for themselves.

"If you simply go out and paint trains, you're a train bomber. If you do graffiti outside or in a gallery, you're a graffiti artist," says Chaz.

Artists will continue working at the former Monopol building until Sunday. Their work can be viewed by visitors during opening times. To find out more about the Goodbye Monopol project, check out their Facebook page.