Can Temizgezek dangles his legs. He is sitting on scaffolding at a height of three meters and is painting fine white lines on the large wall in front of him. “I make the sketch with chalk, the color comes later,” he says. For four days, he and his Andalusian artist colleague Lalone paint and spray paint the large concrete wall at the Halt 58 art club in Untergiesing. “Málaga loves Munich” is the name of the street art project that was brought to life through a cooperation between the Spanish tourist office Turespaña, local tourism authorities and the Munich art association “Real Munich”. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso, the culture of the city in which the artist spent the first years of his life should also be presented beyond the city limits – among other things on the bridge wall in Untergiesing.
The artists thought about the concept together beforehand, and each pictorial element has its own cultural and historical significance: from the traditional Malay dish “Espetos” to a small book that symbolizes the “Women’s Academy”, one of Munich’s first art schools for women. The styles with which the two artists work on the wall are as rich in contrast as the motifs shown.
The street artists Can Temizgezek (right) and Lalone realized the graffito.
(Photo: Mark Siaulys Pfeiffer)
Temizgezek paints graphically, while Lalone’s depictions are mostly realistic. The mural not only merges the artistic styles, but also city motifs: the traditional Andalusian jasmine bouquets “Biznagas” merge into Bavarian hops, and famous Málaga symbols appear in red, black and yellow – a colorful homage to the flag and the city coat of arms of Munich.
The graffiti will stay on the wall for a year – enough time to trace each motif back to its cultural origin. In bad weather, the rain-protected mural also invites you to dream of southern Spain, says Temizgezek: “It rained yesterday, so I just painted the sun.”
“Málaga loves Munich”, Kunsttreff Halt 58, Hebenstreitstraße in Munich-Untergiesing