Genk (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Billie Broekmans’ creative marriage proposal artwork was painted over angering the community. Graffiti artist Dustin Melis discusses the temporary nature of spray can art and the need for more respect for significant works.
Four years ago Billie Broekmans made a special public art piece with pictures of their two dogs and two cats asking, “Will you marry me?” The creative proposal got a lot of attention and the person said yes. People are upset because the artwork with the marriage proposal and pets got painted over. This caused a lot of backlash especially on social media. Those who saw the artwork often are not happy about it and think it was wrong to paint over it.It has been said that the strong reaction shows how important the artwork was to the community and how its removal has made people feel.
Should important Graffiti art be painted over?
Graffiti artists believe that spray art doesn’t last forever. They think it’s okay to paint over artworks especially if the new one is seen as better. This idea as explained by graffiti artist Dustin Melis shows that graffiti is always changing as tastes and styles evolve. Melis says sometimes graffiti can get replaced after many years or even right away which he finds sad. The problem is that young graffiti artists who may not have much experience or respect for existing art often cause this quick turnover. To help Melis and others want rules on buying spray cans for graffiti like setting a minimum age. But this hasn’t worked well because young artists usually get their parents to buy the cans for them.
In the graffiti world some artworks are super important and shouldn’t be painted over. Melis talks about Luana’s mural in Genk and Nash’s art as examples. These pieces are like treasures that everyone in the community agrees to protect.she said that it shows how much respect and honor there is for these special works and the artists who made them. Artists can paint freely without asking the government. It’s a place where creativity can run wild. The community usually respects certain artworks like Luana’s. But sometimes like before a match rival football fans might paint over graffiti.
