“RISE” by Collin Van Der Sluijs in Lecce, 167

HollAndMe – Dutch Street Art In Six Italian Cities

Lecce, 18 ottobre 2021– Il viaggio della creatività olandese nelle città italiane promosso da HollAndMe – Dutch Street Art In Six Italian Cities ha tagliato il nastro della sua quinta tappa, facendo rotta verso la Puglia. E così, il progetto di Arte Urbana, parte del più ampio programma culturale (S)punti di Vista dell’Ambasciata e del Consolato Generale dei Paesi Bassi in Italia in partnership con INWARD – Osservatorio Nazionale sulla Creatività Urbana e in collaborazione con alcune ACU – Associazioni per la Creatività Urbana, è giunto fino a Lecce dove, dal 13 al 18 ottobre scorsi, è stato protagonista l’artista olandese Collin Van Der Sluijs.

Ospitato dall’ACU 167/B Street, l’artista ha qui firmato“RISE – In the meaning of stand tall, work together and unite”: un’opera che, realizzata con tecnica mista (pittura, acrilico e spray), ha una forte impronta naturalistica e un’iconografia contraddistinta dai tratti fiabeschi tipici dello stile dell’artista. Dopo un confronto con l’associazione culturale 167/B Street sul tema degli uccelli locali, infatti, l’artista ha scelto il pettirosso (specie assai diffusa anche in Olanda) come elemento iconografico da riprodurre: per farlo, ha prima dipinto una tela con tanti piccoli esemplari, per poi riprodurli su grande scala.

La decisione, presa dall’ACU 167/B Street, di lavorare con Collin Van Der Sluijs prosegue un percorso costruito nel tempo. Nel 2020, infatti, l’associazione culturale è stata la vincitrice del bando “STREET ART – Artisti italiani e neerlandesi lanciano un messaggio insieme”, promosso e ideato dall’Ambasciata del Regno dei Paesi Bassi e dal Consolato Generale di Milano. Il progetto ARTogether che ne è scaturito ha così visto nascere il grande intervento di via Ragusa a Lecce, qui realizzato dal rinomato duo artistico neerlandese KARSKI & BEYOND.

«Con HollAndMe portiamo avanti un percorso dedicato all’arte urbana che ha avuto inizio l’anno scorso»,spiega Bas Ernst, attaché culturale dell’Ambasciata dei Paesi Bassi a Roma. Che aggiunge:«Siamo felici di poter collaborare di nuovo con 167/B Street per portare a Lecce il lavoro di un altro importantissimo nome dell’arte urbana olandese, Collin van der Sluijs. Lecce si riconferma come città che abbraccia la street art. Le opere dei sei artisti che sosteniamo con il nostro programma in Italia quest’anno sono state realizzate grazie all’impegno di formidabili partner locali, che hanno deciso on entusiasmo di ospitarle e realizzarle. Speriamo che queste opere possano contribuire a creare dei quartieri più belli e vivibili».

L’opera, poi, è situata all’interno del quartiere popolare 167, nella periferia della città, che negli ultimi anni è diventato protagonista di un importante processo di rigenerazione e valorizzazione del territorio attraverso l’Arte Urbana: a partire dal 2017, infatti, grazie ad un’intesa nata dal basso fra il laboratorio 167 B Street, la Parrocchia San Giovanni Battista nella persona di Don Gerardo Ippolito e Arca Sud Salento, sono stati realizzati 10 monumentali murales su altrettante facciate di palazzi, oltre a numerosi interventi artistici più piccoli, assieme a incontri, conferenze, laboratori, mostre e presentazioni, che continuano a trasformare il quartiere della periferia di Lecce in un laboratorio artistico e sociale in continua evoluzione.

L’iniziativa con il patrocinio del Comune di Lecce.

Partner del progetto: Caparol Italia

Comunicato stampa a cura di Another Scratch In the Wall

English version:

Lecce, October 18th 2021- The journey of Dutch creativity in Italian cities promoted by HollAndMe – Dutch Street Art In Six Italian Cities has cut the ribbon on its fifth stage, heading towards the Apulia Region. And so, the Urban Art project, itself a part of the (S)punti di Vista wider cultural program by the Embassy and Consulate General of the Netherlands in Italy in partnership with INWARD – National Observatory on Urban Creativity – as well as with several UCAS – Urban Creativity Associations, arrived in Lecce where, from October 13th to 18th, the Dutch artist Collin Van Der Sluijs was the protagonist.

Hosted by the 167/B Street ACU, the artist created the “RISE – In the meaning of stand tall, work together and unite” work of art by using a mixed technique (painting, acrylic and spray), which featured a strong naturalistic imprint and an iconography marked by the fairy-tale traits which are typical of the artist’s style. Having discussed with the 167/B Street cultural association on the subject of local birds, the artist chose the robin (a species that is also widespread in Holland) as the iconographic element to be reproduced: in order to achieve such a goal, he first painted a canvas with many small specimens, and then
reproduced them on a large scale.

The decision, taken by the 167/B Street UCA, to work with Collin Van Der Sluijs continues a path which has been built over time. As a matter of fact, in 2020, the cultural association was the winner of the competition titled ‘STREET ART – Italian and Dutch artists launch a message together’, promoted and conceived both by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Milan. The resulting ARTogether project brought a large intervention in Via Ragusa in Lecce, created by the renowned KARSKI & BEYOND Dutch art duo.
«With HollAndMe we continue a path dedicated to urban art that began last year – Bas Ernst, a cultural attaché of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Rome, said. He adds: «We are happy to cooperate with 167/B Street again in order to bring the work of another
important name in Dutch urban art, Collin van der Sluijs, to Lecce. The works by the six artists we are supporting with our program in Italy this year were created thanks to the commitment of formidable local partners, who enthusiastically decided to host and create them. We hope that such works of art will help create more beautiful and livable
neighborhoods». Such a work of art is located within the “167”, working-class district on the outskirts of the city, which in recent years has become the protagonist of an important process of regeneration and enhancement for the area by means of Urban Art: indeed. starting in 2017, thanks to a bottom-up agreement between the 167 B Street workshop, the Parish of San Giovanni Battista in the person of Don Gerardo Ippolito and Arca Sud Salento, 10 monumental murals have been created on as many building facades, as well as numerous smaller artistic interventions, along with meetings, conferences, workshops, exhibitions and presentations, which continue to transform the neighbourhood on the outskirts of Lecce into a constantly evolving artistic and social laboratory.

COLLIN VAN DER SLUIJS – BIO
Collin van der Sluijs is a renowned painter and illustrator from Maastricht, the Netherlands, where he lives and
works. He started writing graffiti at the age of eleven and at the age of twelve began his studies at the
professional painting school in Goes. He spent the next eight years studying various art disciplines at different
schools in the Netherlands and graduated from the St. Joost Academy of Art and Design in Breda in 2004 with a
Master’s degree in Fine Art. He is widely recognised for his extraordinary dreamlike depictions of everyday stories that question our personal pleasures and struggles, as well as society at large. Collin’s exceptional work has been published in magazines and books and exhibited in galleries around the world: The Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Italy, Spain, China and the United States.The murals can also be found around the world in the United States, Germany, Georgia, Belgium to name a few.