“Matthias chose it because the Black Lives Matter movement is very dear to him. He is also in favor of keeping the debate alive around the theme. Before the summer holidays, there was a lot of protest around the statue of Leopold II in Ostend. The city council then chose not to remove the statue, but mayor Bart Tommelein did say that there would be a counter image to add some weight. He asked us to make some proposals and this is what it turned out ”, says curator Bjørn Van Poucke. By opting for street art, the opposite is already a fact within a year. “I think that’s fantastic. The timing is also right because just now the statue of Leopold II in Leuven was removed from the town hall. ”
Leopold II is depicted without a head. “That represents a fallen power. In this way, the artist wants to maintain the debate. Such a work of art is a subtle way to do that. ” The artwork can be found in the Nieuwe Stad at Cardijnplein. “The paint of the previous artwork was damaged. Because Matthias Schoenaerts likes to work on large walls, this was the ideal place to get started. ”
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