Mural Paintings on a Wall in the Foyer next to the Van Capellen Zaal

Next to the Van Capellen Zaal is a lobby with a wall that is prominently visible to the public. The organization of De Doelen has decided to make this wall available for mural paintings and has entrusted the programming to Murals Inc.

De Doelen boasts a magnificent collection of post-war art, and it is both exciting and challenging to complement this with contemporary visual (mural) art. The rotating mural program contributes to the vibrancy and identity of this space within the building.

Work Plan

Murals Inc. aims to curate a rotating program of mural paintings on the wall. Every four months, a new mural will be installed.

The artists/street artists chosen to create these murals will be selected based on their portfolio. This means they will not be selected based on their formal education or CV; rather, the focus will be on whether they can create a relevant and intriguing painting based on the following three themes:

Sound

De Doelen is a concert hall that offers a platform for a wide range of musical expressions in an overwhelming manner. Depicting sound in visual art can be a fascinating and challenging task, as sound is an abstract and immaterial property that doesn't directly translate into visual forms. Nevertheless, artists throughout history have employed various approaches to capture or express sound in images. For instance:

Artists can use abstract shapes and patterns to represent the rhythms, tones, and dynamics of sound. These forms can range from repetitive lines and circles to layered structures reflecting the complexity of sound.

Colors and texture can be utilized to convey the quality and emotion of sound. Vibrant colors and dynamic brushstrokes, for example, can capture the energy of a lively musical piece, while softer hues and subtle textures might suggest a more tranquil sonic environment.

Artists can employ symbols and icons to represent specific sounds or musical elements. These could include graphic notations or unconventional forms of notation.

Architecture

Another striking feature of De Doelen is its impressive post-war reconstruction architecture, which is also prominently displayed within its interior. Therefore, it is intriguing to invite artists from both the street and established art scenes who use architecture as a starting point in their work and draw inspiration from the architecture and ambiance of De Doelen.

Painting and architecture have shared a long and rich relationship throughout history. This relationship can be understood in various ways:

In art history, there are countless examples of paintings where architectural elements play a prominent role. These paintings can include cityscapes, interiors of buildings, or even abstract representations of architectural forms. Artists have often used architectural structures as subjects to capture the human experience of space, light, and form.

Some artists draw inspiration from architecture when creating their paintings. For instance, they might be intrigued by the geometric shapes of buildings, the interplay of light and shadow on architectural surfaces, or the symbolic significance of certain architectural elements.

Painting offers artists the opportunity to create the illusion of architectural space on a flat surface. Through perspective, scale, and light and shadow effects, painters can suggest a feeling of depth and space, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in the painted world.

Some modern and contemporary artists have experimented with the relationship between painting and architecture by deconstructing, abstracting, or distorting architectural forms. These works can blur the traditional boundaries between painting and architecture and encourage new ways of looking at and thinking about space and form.

Text / Language

The Van Cappellen Zaal was redesigned in 2019 for introductions, conversations, and small-scale performances. This means that language/text plays a significant role in this room. A key theme within mural art is imagery based on language. Simply put, on the streets, this is manifested in (post) graffiti, and within the established circuit, it's known as Text Based Art. Between these extremes, there are numerous other (experimental) writing styles that are interesting to showcase in relation to the function of the Van Cappellen Zaal and its programming.

Murals Inc. has been closely monitoring the evolution of (street) language on walls for some time now. The established circuit presents Text Based Art within various contexts, where text and language form central elements, diverging from traditional visual elements by focusing on written words, sentences, or letters as the primary form of expression. Nevertheless, there are numerous writing styles that manifest less frequently but possess intrinsic beauty and are intellectually intriguing. Particularly, post-graffiti writing styles are fascinating and have a significant influence on contemporary visual art, and vice versa. With this theme in this context, we aim to highlight developments in language within mural art and thereby also showcase the versatility of writing styles/stylistic features by artists, graffiti writers, and graphic designers from diverse cultural backgrounds. We also aim to provide insights into the relationships between language and mural art, and thus the cross-pollination between the established art circuit and the street circuit.

We act as intermediaries between the street and the museum, between low- and highbrow, continuously scouting for a new generation of talented mural painters.

A heavily frequented location like de Doelen, with a diverse potential audience, is an excellent place to showcase innovative mural art in a relevant manner.

Based on the themes Sound, Architecture, and Language, artists and street artists are selected. Each quarter, a theme is highlighted, ensuring that all themes are covered annually and showcasing the diversity of painting styles in relation to the environment.

Upon completion of a mural, a festive opening follows with a relevant event featuring lectures, films, and artist talks in the foyer and the Van Cappellen Zaal.