World class art in Ostend TEXT: XANDRA BOERSMA | PHOTOS: HENRIK HAVEN
If you believe that all graffiti is vandalism, a visit to The Crystal Ship will surely change your mind. There, you will be amazed by what artists from all over the world are able to do with public space. The Crystal Ship is the biggest festival surrounding art and public space in Europe. No wonder Johan Vande Lanotte, Ostend’s mayor, is so proud to host it. “It’s amazing,” he says. “We’ve wanted to do something with art on the streets of Ostend for a while now. We’ve been talking to an expert on this kind of art, Bjørn Van Poucke. He helped us realise this beautiful artistic trail through the city.” Twenty different artists from all over the world created beautiful paintings on walls all over the city. “Argentina, Australia, Italy, South-Africa; but there’s also 102 | Issue 29 | May 2016
national artists from Brussels and Ostend itself,” Vande Lanotte explains. And that is not all, every resident of Ostend could provide his or her wall to have it decorated with a small painting by Pol Cosmo or Jaune. “That way, this festival is even more part of the city and its residents.”
painting is made with so much detail you can simply keep looking at it for hours. “It’s phenomenal,” Vande Lanotte says. “I can’t even begin to describe what the effect of those paintings is on our city. Which is why I think everybody needs to come and watch.” Because, as Vande Lanotte says: “Art is for everybody”.
In the first weekend after the paintings were completed in April, 2,000 people already came to watch. It is safe to say that it is a success, and there are still two more years to go. “In 2018 we’ll organise the second edition of The Crystal Ship and 20 more wall paintings will be made. Two years after that, we start over. Imagine how colourful the city will be!” says Vande Lanotte.
The city of Ostend has made a special route that showcases every piece of art. You can walk or go by bike. Either way, there’s a road map available at the tourist shop on Monacoplein in Ostend and you can check it out on the app as well. Just one thing: what if it rains? Vande Lanotte laughs: “The Crystal Ship is beautiful from under an umbrella as well.”
There is no need to wait though, because there is plenty to see already. Every
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