Where until recently a portrait of the recently deceased rapper Def Rhymz adorned the wall, the letters GF now appear. Disappointed friends and fans of the rapper share their dissatisfaction about this on Facebook. But what are the – unwritten – rules? As a graffiti artist, can you simply go over someone else’s work?
A sad acquaintance of Def Rhymz writes in a message on Facebook how disappointed he is in the artist who put the initials GF over the portrait of the rapper. “Apparently you felt it necessary to spray your fantastic work of art over it. I would like to ask you out of feeling whether you were not taught at home that you should have respect for deceased persons,” writes Jean-Louis Margaretha. The message has been shared many times.
“I think it’s really sad because I know the family personally,” Jean-Louis Margaretha told Editie NL. “It is a legal wall, so it is allowed. But there is enough space to paint. I call this a kind of grave desecration.”
He hopes that the municipality of Rotterdam will give the deceased rapper a permanent tribute. The municipality has announced that it is thinking about this.
But of course that doesn’t help the artist of Rhymz’s portrait, Ché Lanser. Although it is also a bit of a risk of the profession. Fellow artist and graffiti artist from the very beginning Karski, explains what the – unwritten – rules are. “
Practice in a tolerance zone
“This portrait was made in a tolerance zone for artists, you cannot protect it there,” he tells Editie NL. In fact: “The whole idea of such a zone is that it changes organically and that artists can practice there. The fact that it was there for another three weeks is still a long time, because it can be repainted within an hour.”
Back in his rebellious graffiti days, it was a kind of unwritten rule that you didn’t paint over each other, he says. “You were only allowed to do that if you could really make something better. But that is different nowadays, especially in these kinds of tolerable places.”
Karski now makes large legal murals himself. He tries to protect this. “I do this by applying a special coating to it. Then you can simply scrub off anything that is painted over it.”
