Living room Gelsenkirchen - Sponk Art - Graffiti

Living room Gelsenkirchen

18/08/2023

On 13 August 2023, an extraordinary exhibition by Sponk took place in the ‘Wohnzimmer Gelsenkirchen’, which proved to be a huge success, attracting as many as 130-150 visitors. The exhibition space was literally bursting at the seams as visitors gazed at the artworks with rapt attention. Sponk personally endeavoured to engage in conversation with each guest and explain his inspiring works. The musical atmosphere was created by the band Sugargang, who filled the room with sounds that perfectly matched the mood.

The guests, who came from a wide range of age groups, professions and backgrounds, lent the vernissage a diverse and lively atmosphere. Artists, musicians and even politicians came to admire Sponk’s works. A sign of how art can bring people together. Particularly outstanding guests were the artist Niko Nicolaides, who had already exhibited together with Sponk in China, and the Mayor of Gelsenkirchen, Karin Welge.

A total of 23 artworks by Sponk were exhibited, offering an impressive overview of his development as a street artist. Among the works were his characteristic and spaced-out depictions of mushrooms, which play a central role in Sponk’s art. ‘Mushrooms have been with me since my beginnings. Like many sprayers, I have a certain figure that represents me alongside my lettering. For me, it’s the alien mushrooms ‘Sponks’,’ explained Sponk. He began painting these mushrooms on canvases back in 2007, and over time he has steadily refined his technique. A recent mushroom work showed a rainbow-coloured mushroom lady with a T-virus pipe (Resident Evil).

Behind the stage, in an imposing location, hung a huge portrait of a lion in an abstract geometric style. This artwork was impressively presented and is currently up for auction. Sponk plans to donate all the proceeds from this auction to clean water and education in countries in need. ‘We have it so good in Germany. I want to give something back,’ he emphasised.

The rooms were also decorated with huge wooden graffiti constructions. This 8 metre high hall with its industrial charm and clinker brick construction housed typical graffiti letters that formed the name ‘Sponk’. But Sponk went one step further: he painted his characteristic styles on wood and cut them out precisely. Using sophisticated light and shadow effects, colour gradients and structures, which he created using a special masking technique, he created the impression of three-dimensional letters. The optical illusion could only be recognised up close and on closer inspection and it was only then that it was actually a flat panel.

Sponk himself explained his artistic approach: ‘When I have a vision, I put all reason aside and put my ideas into practice. I spend weeks or months in the studio, working manically on my graffiti reliefs and only then do I think about what to do next. I don’t let that slow me down.’

An hour-long video presented Sponk’s artistic journey on a screen. It showed all the graffiti he had painted over the years, starting in 2005, when his strokes were not yet so precise and the colours ran in all directions. But perseverance and diligence paid off, and in just a few years Sponk achieved a level of precision that was highly regarded in the scene. After 18 years as a sprayer, he has worked his way from street art into galleries, museums and even our living rooms, a testament to his tireless dedication to art.

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