Street Art : Avroy - Guillemins

Since 2016, Liège and Hasselt have been united by two of Honet’s works that echo each other, one in each city. The link between the two cities is, however, much older: Hasselt was part of the Principality of Liège, founded in 980, and of which Liège was the capital.It’s a story that goes back to the Middle Ages. Therefore, it is not surprising to find these knights in armour. Where Honet’s work invites us to smile is through the attributes that he gives the knights: there, we find a knight with the coat of arms of Liège, of course, but also one with a jester’s hat adorned with a leek and another evoking death with an executioner’s hood and whose coat of arms represents a fake. Ultimately, it is unknown whether the knights are fleeing from the huge, cut-off head of a snake or the “knight-executioner.” Lastly, the sword is covered in many letters. Although it bears the mention of LG, a clear reference to Liege, and the year 2016 written in Roman numerals, most of the letters are references to Honet.

This work is a veritable paradox that promotes love with a big fist punch. The fist has always had a strong symbolic character that invites action or even confrontation, whether tense, forward or raised in the air. As in several other achievements, S.P.Y.K. treats the subject with a lot of realism. He renders the carnation and texture of the skin beautifully, including the folds of each phalanx. Similarly, he manages to recreate the brilliance of the metal in the rings that form the word love. The monumentality of the work is further reinforced by this red colour gradient, whose sobriety contrasts with the realism of the fist. 

Contrary to what a quick glance might lead you to believe, this tangle of coloured letters is no accident. A closer look soon reveals the words and meaning behind this aesthetic mix: «Shake hands». A work that invites people to meet and work together in mutual respect. It’s a beautiful message, just a stone’s throw from Guillemins station, a major gateway to the city. This British graffiti artist loves to play with letters (twisting them, stretching them, superimposing them, etc.) to the delight of our retinas. But his artistic approach doesn’t stop there: his creations always convey a message that makes us think, often; questions us, sometimes; amuses us, always.

The black line drawing on a white background is characteristic of Noir Artiste’s work. Again, this work testifies to all the thoroughness and precision, almost surgical, that he applies to his works. The composition represents a kind of chimaera, a strange mixture between a fish, a bird, and a feline, which seems to desperately pursue time that inevitably runs away. This creature, a veritable metamorphosis of several animals, was created in 2016 as part of the Metamorphosis festival. As its name indicates, this festival was intended to highlight the transformations of several places in the region of Liège. In Liege, it was the opportunity to draw attention to the opening of the Musée La Boverie and the inauguration of the La Belle-Liègeoise footbridge, which are located on either side of this curious chimaera. 

The Man of the Meuse. Some may recall that Sozyone had made a painting on a gable wall, which is now missing, at the intersection between Nagelmickers Street and Quai sur-Meuse. But it was considerably smaller than the Man of the Meuse. Rarely has Wallonia known such monumental works! Immediately, the alert eye will recognise Sozyone’s style, his character with such a distinctive yet anonymous face, whose traits are barely sketched by a play between the different coloured shapes. As is quite common in Sozyone’s works, the composition represents a man dressed in black with a bowler hat and several birds. These are elements that a certain René Magritte also loved. Where Sozyone’s work is more original, however, is through the use that it makes of the two gable walls. He plays maliciously with the perspective, offering us only the character’s upper and lower parts; the rest is suggested by its distance. 

Jérémy Goffart plunges us into the world of Jazz with this magnificent portrait of Chet Baker, the world.famous Jazz musician who passed through Liège several times. He is represented with his preferred instrument: The trumpet. Coming out of the trumpet are not notes of music but waves of pale colours, which may be a way to materialise the palette of emotions transmitted by the musician playing. The use of a light-obscure effect magnifies the musician and refers both to the imagination of Jazz and the style of music played by Chet Baker. 

This work is probably one of the oldest paintings made for Operation Palis’art that is still preserved. With no big surprise, this tribute to the Jazz represents three jazzmen playing (bass, trumpet and saxophone) in front of an urban panorama, which does not specifically represent Liège. Only a few slightly more colourful houses come to break this monochrome background.