The Graffiti Streets
On the streets, you will be drawn into street art whether you like it or not. Certainly, in Ghent, it has become a tourist attraction just like in Melbourne, Australia. Now Ho Chi Minh City is also starting to implement a street art project sponsored by the French Institute in Vietnam and several other foreign agencies… Could it become a new tourist attraction for Ho Chi Minh City?
Werregarenstraat is a narrow little street that is hardly noticed. Because it winds its way, weaving through the center of Ghent, between the long street of Hoogport and Onderstraat.
Back then, when I arrived here, I saw it partially blocked by a large wooden plank for the workers to work behind; upon closer inspection, I noticed the path had been slightly widened. When I saw a group of people – perhaps also tourists – sneaking behind the wooden board, I joined them. Thanks to that, I discovered a street art location that is hard to miss.
According to later reading materials, the graffiti streets are often the remnants of narrow cobblestone paths from ancient times. Since the mid-1990s, the city government of Ghent has allowed street artists to freely express themselves, creating murals in this area.
Like many small graffiti streets in central Melbourne, the face of the graffiti streets in Gand also changes frequently. Some even say that if you come back every few years, you’ll see a difference compared to your previous visit: you’ll never see the same piece of art again.
Some artists sign their works, but many pieces don’t have the artist’s name anywhere. Then there are the words, sometimes “slogans” – a typical type of graffiti – set up next to the large, artistically rich murals. The result? This is a colorful, unstructured space where genuine artistic graffiti is mixed with the scribbled, often clumsy handwriting of non-artists who want to leave their mark in Gand!
But surprisingly, while walking through the graffiti alley, one can admire a meticulously cared-for garden of trees and flowers. According to documents, this garden is associated with the name Hof van Rijhove, who purchased both the mansion and the adjacent garden in the 14th century. Later, the city government of Ghent took over and set up some offices here.
To the south of the center of Ghent is a street – Tweebruggenstraat – with many large, meticulously and neatly painted murals. They are truly harmonious, giving the feeling of enjoying masterpieces of the masters in an art museum. No graffiti defacing the walls. The care is very evident, as if this street were dedicated to street art.
This is also a “supportive” road for cyclists – they are given priority. This favoritism has inspired some works on several walls: Paintings of cyclists!
Actually, street art is everywhere in Ghent. Even the small streets can surprise wandering visitors with a unique mural.
Gand also often organizes the “Graffiti Jam” event, allowing artists to carefully apply their strokes to a designated public space. That is, not painting haphazardly and ruining the appearance of the streets like what is happening on many streets in the center of Ho Chi Minh City.
After more than a day exploring Ghent, on the way back to the station to continue wandering in Belgium, I also came across some more street art. There is a huge mural called “Gent Schakelt Slim” – “The Smart Daily Commute.” A method this city uses to encourage people to use appropriate means of transportation; no need to drive a car for a distance of one kilometer, for example!
Creating based on the old foundation is surely a way to attract visitors, as it avoids repeating the boring things. There are cities that have been around for centuries and still haven’t realized this…
