The new mural between the town council and the playground is nearing completion. Valentine Verhaegen, who won Tervuren’s €10,000 artistic competition, is set to finish well ahead of the 1 September deadline.
Born in Ghent, Valentine Verhaegen now lives in Vossem. Taking drawing lessons while still in nursery school, Verhaegen went on to study illustration at Brussels’ renowned St. Luc School. She’s also spent 9 years working as a toy designer before deciding to pursue a career as a full-time painter and illustrator.
Why choose to paint the toilet building behind the town council? “The building is beautiful, and the surroundings are so wonderful with all those trees,” she tells Tervuren+.
Other factors played a role in the choice. The mural has to last for at least ten years and needs to be slightly protected from the elements. The toilet building’s walls, too, are made of smooth concrete. “It’s very easy to work on,” says Verhaegen. Additionally, permission to paint was almost guaranteed as the toilet building is owned by the commune.
Painting the mural is the most visible of the many tasks that include conceptualization, selection of artistic themes, projection on the location, and explaining the work to everyone passing by. “There’s also a lot of work on the computer for the first outlines,” Verhaegen told Tervuren+.
Tervuren’s town councilors wanted a permanent work of public art that “vividly” highlights diversity in Tervuren and reflects the “noble goal of vigorously spreading a message of tolerance” Tervuren politicians also speak of the street art generating “emotions and feelings, which have the power to break down barriers and connect people, regardless of their background or beliefs.”
See more of Valentine Verhaegen’s work at: https://www.instagram.com/valentineverhaegen
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Author: Dafydd ab Iago. Article and photos for Tervuren+ are under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
