Our front doors…

workcycles-front-shutters

workcycles-front doors

The strangest thing happened the other day: I arrive at WorkCycles Lijnbaansgracht to open the shop and I find that our front doors have been graffitied, or rather artfully painted actually… with a skeletons and bikes theme. It’s kinda strange and creepy but heck, it’s funny, bicycle related, eye-catching and far better than the stupid tagging we were getting every week!

It says “Posada” in big letters, I assume a reference to the Mexican artist famous for murals in a similar style. It seems unlikely Posada did this one considering that he died in 1913.

In small letters in the lower right it says “Abner” and “Slacker” which I assume to be this guy: www.abnerpreis.com/

Strange.

8 Responses to “Our front doors…”

  1. David Hembrow Says:

    I have to say that what you’ve got there is rather good graffiti. I am also rather bored of the unimaginative tagging.

  2. henry Says:

    I agree, David. It’s almost an insult to call it “graffiti”; maybe “unauthorized art” is a more suitable description.

  3. Shane Says:

    Wow, that really is great graffiti- I have the Posada style (maybe it was Posada) “Day of the Dead Bikers” on my wall.
    Too bad they didn’t get one of those skeletons riding a cargobike.

  4. John, Says:

    It looks Great,It makes the Statement that Cycling is the Way to go for a Happy Life. It is very well done,it is not Insulting in any way they must have Worked very hard Overnight to do this.

    There Probably will be a Preservation Order on the Building in a Hundred Years time because of the Bike Mural on your Shopfront.

  5. henry Says:

    John,
    You’re right. I’m not sure I could have commissioned a better piece, and even if I could it would never be legal without years of applications for building permits… which would probably be rejected anyway.

    How ironic that would be if this uncommissioned art becomes a landmark. The irony is that the city is pushing for the removal of this type of rolling shutters because they make the street empty and ugly when the shops aren’t open. So we may have to remove these within a few years anyway.

  6. Todd Edelman Says:

    Wow, that is so fantastic. If it was my place or shop I would have been crying with happiness.

    The facade of our nice, old apartment building in Berlin is a mess with tags. I asked a wonderful muralist-community painting person I know for some advice regarding a project for this building — a mural which would “join” this building and the social services building next door. But the landlord said no so far…

    I also prefer real storefront windows to look in at night or Sundays, etc. Henry, maybe you can hang the rolling shutters… inside! But set back a bit… so you can put some goodies in front.

  7. Todd Edelman Says:

    Oh, I wanted to include this link in the last one: https://www.monacaron.com/mural.html

  8. Tiago Says:

    It’s really cool, you are a lucky man… an explendid art work for free… Nice one…

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