Ship Full of Graffiti

At her regular ports of call, Antwerp, Rouen and Lisbon, local artists (The Netherlands included) were invited to use the NileDutch Kwanza as a legitimate canvas. 29 Dutch , 6 Belgian, 7 French and 5 Portuguese artists have transformed the hull of the NileDutch Kwanza into a mega piece of graffiti. This piece shows their different styles.

This project started on the 23rd of March in Antwerp where all the artists were gathered to start painting both sides of the ship. The vessel went then to Rouen on the 26tho of March where the artists continued working on the project during the loading and discharge operations. The last port of call was Lisbon, where the project was completed on the 1st of April. Joost van Lubeek (Super Cargo of NileDutch) supervised this operation. The ship will be a sailing exhibition.

**Modern art – contemporary and progressive **Within NileDutch there is a long-time commitment to contemporary arts. Graffiti is the foundation and inspiration of many artists. Graffiti is still evolving and we do find many graffiti artists at art academies all over the world. NileDutch finds it important to give young artists a chance to present their art. And therefore offers the NileDutch Kwanza as a canvas. NileDutch values graffiti as progressive, modern and active. Values NileDutch strives for itself. **Positive message ** These are tough economic times. But even under these circumstances NileDutch maintains its positive values. We look to the future with confidence. And that is exactly the theme NileDutch has for this project: upbeat creativity, optimistic determination, trust in a good future, successful cooperation. This message will ultimately be visible in the artwork on the hull of the ship. **Art at sea ** After the completion, the NileDutch Kwanza will be a sailing exhibition for at least 6 months. Then the temporary artwork will be covered in the NileDutch signature colours.

source nieuwsbladtransport.nl