Mural in Herzele by a famous international artist

Ships of culture Heidi Knop (Open-VLD) announced at the Herzeel city council of April 28, 2024 that there will be a mural on the side wall of Sports hall De Griffoenen. The artwork is realized by Case Maclaim. Case Maclaim is a German mural artist. Case is one of four members of the “Maclaim Crew”, which was founded in 2000 and is considered a pioneer in photorealistic murals within the scene. In his work, the ideal of beauty is replaced by bizarre-controversial features, which are annoying but at the same time fascinating. The figurative subjects in combination with a powerful story make Case’s works very impressive.

He painted, among other things, the well-known portrait of Sanda Dia on the facade of the Pieter de Someraula in Leuven and the negotiating office All About Thingswhich represents him, is also responsible for the series of murals ‘Crystal Ship’ in Ostend.

Let us not forget that Case Maclaim also made his mark in Ostend with The Crystal Ship and a work based on James Ensor, which certainly gave the neighborhood a beautiful appearance.

According to the aldermen, the intention is to have more murals painted in Herzele. The next project would take place on the side wall of the apartment on the corner of the Solleveld and the Street of Peace.

Spicy detail: the cost price is €25,000 per mural.

That helped N-VA, LIVE! and Red Green still in the wrong way. Filip De Bodt: “What a price. It would be better to involve local artists in this project. You can have five of these works done for the same price.” Jo De Loor (Red green) also wondered about the location of the work: “It will only be visible from Bergestraat.”

Courageous of councilor Heidi Knop to stick her neck out for contemporary art. The fact that the work costs €25,000, well, artists are also entitled to compensation, especially a work of this size. These should not always be subsidies for cycling races, football, or other agricultural activities.

Perhaps the work will last longer than the current Herzeel politicians will be politicians.

Hopefully and perhaps this will also be the case in Herzele, walls full of creativity

For example, I spoke to Alderman Heidi Knop and she proudly told me the following:

“We are fully committed to art and culture in Herzele, one of the most remarkable projects of which is the renovation and restoration of the iconic kiosk in Sint-Lievens-Esse. With careful attention to detail and respect for the past, we will transform this kiosk into a vibrant meeting place for culture, art and social connection.

In Ressegem, where nature and culture embrace each other, the brand new Neerhof comes to life. A village orchard is being created here, an oasis of peace and greenery that reminds us of the past around the Motte-and-bailey castle. In addition, we will organize workshops that encourage people to interact with nature in a creative and self-reliant way.

In Sint-Lievens-Esse we already realized a beautiful mural with artist Jan De Maesschalck in 2021, based on a photo from 1910 of a 3rd class in the Steenhuize school. It can be viewed on the GR route, a long-distance route for hikers that runs straight through our country and throughout Europe. We come across several works of art along the route. (more info: https://www.herzele.be/muurschildering).

In addition, there will be two additional impressive murals very soon. We aim to connect all our art and culture projects from the past, present and future through a route, a true journey of discovery that reveals the beauty of our community and represents an additional asset for tourism.

Volleyball club De Griffoenen offers their facade to create a new work of art. For this project we choose to collaborate with Case Maclaim from the ‘Maclaim Crew’ because he has experience with large-scale works of art. It is not only about the size of the design, but especially about guaranteeing safety and sustainability when realizing this work of art.

With this work of art we would like to thank all volunteers and therefore send out a positive message. The demand for this supported by the municipal council is bundled with the policy action for art in Herzele, resulting in both an attractive and budget-feasible translation.

We are also working on a participation process for a mural for the Street of Peace that will soon take shape. We also do not lose sight of our local artists. For example, we recently had eight benches made by local artist Kristof Deprez, so that each sub-municipality has its own ‘personalized’ bench. In addition, we continuously put local talent in the spotlight on the exhibition wall in the library, we support participation in Atelier in Beeld (first weekend of May), … We are also looking at other options for street art projects with local artists, about which Hopefully we can communicate more about this soon.