Dąbrowskiego Street is one of the longest streets in Poznań, running from the centre towards the west. At the point where it intersects with Lutycka Street, and where the traffic volume when leaving the city is very high, a mural by the well-known street artist Biosme x Brocki was created.
The tenement on which the mural was created belongs to Boutique Office, which is a company of the founders of Poznan’s DEMIURGA. For several years now, DEMIURG has been involved in artistic campaigns and has promoted art in the investments they have made. Boutique Office has completely taken over this aspect of the business, with the main aim of engaging talented artists to realise boutique investments together. More recently, they have also been renting event space and holding exhibitions at their headquarters.
“We bought the townhouse with a long-term investment in mind and I know we won’t be redeveloping the building for some time yet. The simplest solution would be to rent out the advertising space to a well-known retail chain and make a profit from that. Being responsible for a common space, we want to change something in the thinking of others by giving new directions to cultural and social activities. As it turns out, it is possible to combine construction with art. Instead of an old, grey façade that contributed nothing to the urban space, we invited an artist we like and appreciate very much to work with us. Biosme x Brocki has created a great mural that adds some life to the place and pleases the eye of residents and motorists passing by. In addition to the mural, a painting with the same motif is also being created to leave some kind of mark when the mural disappears some time from now when we start redeveloping the place. ” – Bartosz Kaczmarek, CEO of Boutique Office
The mural that has appeared in Poznań is to be the start of a larger action – WALLS FOR ART. Boutique Office intends to introduce more art into the urban space and promote street art artists, but not only. We have already had the opportunity to observe the company’s collaboration with Bart Sucharski, when mysterious figures in windows were created on Podgórna Street, or with Noriaki on Bernardyński Square, where the sculpture Mr Periscope was created. Another collaboration with the well-known artist Paweł Swanski can be expected on the DMO OFFICE 139 office building on Dmowskiego Street in Poznań, where one of the Boutique Office investments is about to be completed. And further projects are already planned with Chazme and Nawer, among others.
Art in public space is a topic that is not yet strongly promoted in Poland. We are still quite cautious about it, even though the benefits are clear and well-known. First and foremost, murals add variety to a space, it becomes more visually attractive for residents, but also for tourists. Art can also express messages that are important to a community, as well as being a form of expression and expression for artists. In such spaces, the atmosphere of the place and the way it is perceived immediately changes. It is worth noting that art in public spaces is not only murals, but also art installations, sculptures or reliefs. There are plenty of ways to make the urban fabric more attractive, so why not use them. Boutique Office has set itself one of the goals – to introduce art into the urban space – and intends to pursue it consistently.
“There are a lot of plans for future activities. We are already arranging the next murals, this week we are organising a meeting with art in our boutique space, and we already have several exhibitions and vernissages in store with artists who are close to us. There will certainly be more going on, but we are also not forgetting our core business of designing and building office buildings that are created together with artists. More realisations are coming soon.” – Bartosz Kaczmarek, CEO of Boutique Office
Who is BIOSME x BROCKI?
Brocki’s works make up an original artistic universe called MUTO Land. In the artist’s own words: “it is a world on the borderline between dream and nightmare with a view of the Krkonoše Mountains”. Brocki most often places his works in dilapidated and forgotten spaces, giving them an element of new life. His paintings can be found in private collections in Poland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, the USA and Hong Kong.
source: DEMIURG / https://demiurg.com.pl/
Also read: Architecture in Poland | Graphics | Murals | Tenements | whiteMAD on Instagram | Poznan
