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Urban Forms Foundation invited Australian street artist Guido van Helten for an exciting project in Łódź, Poland. The Foundation and the artist have already worked together on two projects, in Poznań and Grudziądz, but this time it was finally possible in Łódź, the place with over 100 murals are around the city.
The walls dedicated for Guido van Helten already had murals on them, but with bad weather over the years these murals, The “twin” piece by polish artists Cekas, Chazme, Proembrion, Sepe and the late Tone, had been destroyed. The local community felt that the walls needed to be renovated with a community theme. Urban Forms decided to invite an artist, who works closely with the local community, so after weeks of preparations, Łódź was ready for Guido van Helten.
The new murals were inspired by the idea of a discussion about art in public and private spaces. In order to get to know the artistic tastes of the inhabitants of the area, together with the artist, Urban Forms organised a family picnic. The meeting was aimed at engaging the community members in conversations about their favourite works of art, presenting artefacts and creating a nice and friendly atmosphere within the neighbourhood. Photos taken during the picnic helped to create the final project for the walls. Guido also visited Łódź residents at their homes, asking to show their favourite pieces of art and getting to know a few beautiful stories behind them.
During the creation process, Guido decided to involve the youngest generation in the project.
One of the pictures made by a little boy Tymek, titled “Łeba”, ended up on the wall.
Characteristic for Guido van Helten’s works silhouettes of people painted in building’s given colours are complemented by the real works of art – taken from the homes of Zarzew inhabitants.
The new walls in the Zarzew district of Łódź took two months to paint and have brightened up the neighbourhood with art found on the inside resident homes… and now out onto the street.
Photo credit Guido Van Helten
