Graffiti artist, engraver and painter Denis Meyers will create a participatory mural on Tuesday in support of imprisoned Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who was detained in Iran in February 2022.
The participatory fresco, a painting done rapidly with watercolours on wet plaster, will take place in front of the Bourse stock exchange building in Brussels.
In 2016, the artist created the largest work of urban art in Europe, located in Ixelles, Brussels. Meyers will begin the mural on Tuesday at 16:00 on wooden panels. People are invited to write a word that comes to them when they think of Vandecasteele's situation.
Meyers knew Vandecasteele personally when they were younger, both in scouts and in college. With the project, Meyers is hoping to put his visibility at the service of people through his art. He is deeply upset knowing that his old friend Vandecasteele is being held in inhumane conditions, and has decided to support Olivier Vandecasteele through the creation of a participatory fresco.
Related News
- Olivier Vandecasteele's niece locks herself in a cage for 24 hours in Tournai
- Belgium-Iran treaty: Official transfer request for detained aid worker Vandecasteele
Mayor Philippe Close, Delphine Houba and the rest of the college municipal have supported Meyer's initiative. The City of Brussels are inviting the public to sign the petition for Vandecasteele's immediate release on the Amnesty International website.
Olivier Vandecasteele is a Belgian aid worker who was arrested in Tehran, Iran on 24 February 2022. He has since been sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes. Vandecasteele has been in solitary confinement since the beginning of his detention and is reportedly suffering from health issues due to his detention conditions.
