I like to share my thoughts and ideas on Linkedin. Original post here with comments.
Two weeks after BOMB painted a piece on the Van Abbemuseum (see previous post), the Centraal Museum in Utrecht opened a new show featuring textile and graffiti art. The exhibition showcased works from legendary New York artists like Keith Haring, Seen, Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee, and Dondi, alongside many local graffiti writers like Shave, Re-G, Rhone, IMPS crew, and more.
Inspired to join in, Beaps created a piece on the museum, together by a silver piece across the road, both reading ‘Beaps’ with the tekst ‘Real graff’ written next to it.
Interestingly, just a week prior, Ego tagged the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, right beneath the logo on the old building. A photo by Ibrahim Wijbenga shows the museum's failed attempt to remove it. (If anyone knows if it’s still there, let me know.) Ego, a tagger from the punk era in Amsterdam, remains one of the few still actively tagging the streets.
Beaps, one of Utrecht’s most active writers and probably about 20+ years younger than Ego, decided to paint a piece on the Centraal Museum.
The Centraal Museum responded differently. They decided to include this uncommissioned piece in the exhibition, apparently even placing a small sign next to it.
I’v been told the museum director, Bart Rutten, seems to understand the nuances of graffiti culture and decided to include the action by this Utrecht writer.
I asked Beaps about his action, and he explained, "I felt it was personally important to contribute in my own way to a realistic portrayal, which I felt was being somewhat undermined, as the feeling of jumping through hoops was growing."
He also mentioned that the museum on the small sign next to it credited the piece to ‘an unknown artist.’
He remarked: “ I heard that they wanted to include it in the exhibition, but it would be credited as 'unknown artist.' While it clearly states who it is from. Otherwise, I would have done it anonymously. Denying the art in this way is, for me, an acknowledgment of authenticity. Because every revolutionary art form in history has always been denied as art by the contemporary art elite. So, I took it as a compliment, haha."
While looking at the website of the museum, I noticed Beaps' name is among the long list of participating artists.
Personally, I understand Beaps' move of painting on the museum, given the context and his motives. I also greatly appreciate the museum's reaction to his action. Your thoughts?
To complement my previous two LinkedIn posts about graffiti on museums, here's a fascinating clip featuring Jasper Krabbé (JAZ) discussing the time he painted his alias on the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
This short video is from the Dutch documentary Kroonjuwelen (2006), which explores the history of graffiti in Amsterdam. All rights to the clip belong to them. Please go watch the full documentary for a deeper understanding.
Special thanks to Jean-Pierre Kin and Raul Balai for pointing out this clip.