An exhibition at the Kelderman and van Noort café in Woensel-West will show one more time the colorful artworks created during the past 15 years at the ‘Step in the Arena’ festival.
With text, photos, and images, the history of the festival can be seen. It was one of the biggest graffiti events in Europe but had to stop due to financial reasons. “I think it’s a shame,” says founder Dave van den Berg, who was working for Dynamo at the time. “I thought we did a lot in those 15 years. But then you’re busy so you don’t notice. Now that I look back on it, it makes me emotional. It was my baby…”
The festival has been of great significance to the development of graffiti art in the city, according to Van den Berg. The municipality was still focused on fighting graffiti around 2010 but there’s a clear shift now. In the year 2024, officials hire graffiti artists to create street art.
Own style
“We’ve gone from nobody’s friends to companions,” he says with a laugh. “In 2010, people would call the police if you were doing graffiti, but now I get calls asking if I would please make something on commission.” Focusing on graffiti has allowed Eindhoven to develop its style, characterised by its clean lines. “When people in the Randstad see my work, they know I’m from Eindhoven,” Van den Berg says proudly.
Now that the festival is a thing of the past, Van den Berg will focus on his art. The exhibition can be visited through Aug. 11.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Chaitali Sengupta
