Thanks to a government initiative to create ‘tolerated zones’ for legal graffiti painting, the Irene Tunnel has become a vibrant and free museum of art.
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Cycling through the Irene tunnel near Delft station, one’s attention is immediately caught by the colorful exhibition of graffiti covering the tunnel’s walls. The bold-colored works flash past the cyclist like cinematic images. And seemingly every week new graffiti paintings appear to refresh the viewers’ eyes. This constantly changing ‘canvas’ is like a free outdoor museum of graffiti art.
The Irene Tunnel is one of two legal, or rather (gedoogzone) ‘tolerated’ graffiti zones in Delft, created by the local government with the intention that graffiti artists would then have a place to express themselves. Christiaan Mooiweer, the Delft city councilman behind the idea of ‘tolerated zones’, believes graffiti art shouldn’t be repressed without offering an alternative. Thanks to his liberal view towards this artistic sub-culture, graffiti artists now have a place to meet and create art, without the worry (and hurry) of being caught by the police.
The result is large-scale, detailed pieces of work, spreading vividly across the tunnel walls. Jim, a graffiti artist who paints regularly in the Irene Tunnel, is happy to have a place where he can cooperate artistically with other graffiti artists. Before starting a large wall painting, the various artists first discuss the themes and color tones and then set to work individually. The long tunnel walls then appear like a collection of individual expressions of the same theme.
Jim’s currently working on a theme called, ‘Darker side of life’. The chosen colors are grey and black, yet bright orange occasionally splashes across the images. Jim said the gray tones signify “hell”, the orange the “blaze of fire”. Next week, he’ll add religious figures, like Jesus Christ and angels, which, in turn, may mean that the tunnel’s theme might “eventually become heaven”.
The active participation of graffiti artists has made this free outdoor museum a success. Jim comes to the tunnel to paint two or three times a week. It seems to be his straightforward, passionate character that keeps him doing graffiti art: “I’ve been doing graffiti for 26 years, and I’ll keep doing it until I’m in a wheelchair.”
(Photo collage: Lin Siu Wah, China, MSc)
Thanks to a government initiative to create ‘tolerated zones’ for legal graffiti painting, the Irene Tunnel has become a vibrant and free museum of art.
Cycling through the Irene tunnel near Delft station, one’s attention is immediately caught by the colorful exhibition of graffiti covering the tunnel’s walls. The bold-colored works flash past the cyclist like cinematic images. And seemingly every week new graffiti paintings appear to refresh the viewers’ eyes. This constantly changing ‘canvas’ is like a free outdoor museum of graffiti art.
The Irene Tunnel is one of two legal, or rather (gedoogzone) ‘tolerated’ graffiti zones in Delft, created by the local government with the intention that graffiti artists would then have a place to express themselves. Christiaan Mooiweer, the Delft city councilman behind the idea of ‘tolerated zones’, believes graffiti art shouldn’t be repressed without offering an alternative. Thanks to his liberal view towards this artistic sub-culture, graffiti artists now have a place to meet and create art, without the worry (and hurry) of being caught by the police.
The result is large-scale, detailed pieces of work, spreading vividly across the tunnel walls. Jim, a graffiti artist who paints regularly in the Irene Tunnel, is happy to have a place where he can cooperate artistically with other graffiti artists. Before starting a large wall painting, the various artists first discuss the themes and color tones and then set to work individually. The long tunnel walls then appear like a collection of individual expressions of the same theme.
Jim’s currently working on a theme called, ‘Darker side of life’. The chosen colors are grey and black, yet bright orange occasionally splashes across the images. Jim said the gray tones signify “hell”, the orange the “blaze of fire”. Next week, he’ll add religious figures, like Jesus Christ and angels, which, in turn, may mean that the tunnel’s theme might “eventually become heaven”.
The active participation of graffiti artists has made this free outdoor museum a success. Jim comes to the tunnel to paint two or three times a week. It seems to be his straightforward, passionate character that keeps him doing graffiti art: “I’ve been doing graffiti for 26 years, and I’ll keep doing it until I’m in a wheelchair.”
(Photo collage: Lin Siu Wah, China, MSc)
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