Samara Blue - My Way Of Art

This Chinese dragon represents power, happiness, prosperity, kindness and intelligence. In China, the dragon is regarded as an ancestor of humankind. It embodies strength and energy and stands for health and a long life. It combines several creatures within itself, symbolising its versatility: the head of a camel, the antlers of a deer, the body of a snake covered in fish scales, and feet armed with razor sharp claws.

The entire design for this building, which was also known as the “Schwesternheim”, was created by Ben Mathis. He prepared and primed the façade himself, while the motifs were created using spray paint. During my telephone interview with Ben, I was quite surprised by this, because I could hardly imagine that such finely detailed contours could be achieved with a spray can. But then again, I am only the observer, not the expert.

He spent two to three weeks working on the building, he told me on the phone more than twelve years after completing the artwork. What is remarkable is how well the colours have survived. Ben has a simple explanation for that, too: Kiefernstraße 7 is mostly in the shade, which means the colours do not fade as strongly. Quite simple, really, isn't it?

But who is Ben Mathis?

Born in Rouen, France, in 1977, he moved to Düsseldorf at the age of ten. Ten years later, he was already creating large scale outdoor works. From 2002 to 2003, he studied industrial design at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. Between 2003 and 2010, he studied pharmacy at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, as he knew that, at least in the beginning, he would not be able to make a living from his art alone.

His Dragon House, created in 2008/2009, was therefore completed while he was still a student. It was not his first large scale work, and it certainly would not be his last. In 2011, he completed his doctorate.

In an interview with the Düsseldorf art magazine “THE DORF”, Ben Mathis talks vividly about his early experiences as a graffiti artist.

How it all began ...

Ben discovered spray painting through new classmates when he was in the 8th or 9th grade. At first, his school became his canvas, but later the young rebels were drawn to new places. They rode their bicycles to railway tracks and turned night into day, decorating bridges around the area.

What drives a graffiti artist?

Some are looking for adventure, for the thrill. Others seem to channel their destructive energy into colour. And then there are the truly creative ones, the artists who manage to bring their art into urban spaces and make it accessible to everyone, unlike art confined to galleries and museums.

Ben obviously belonged to the latter, the creative ones. He perfected what he could achieve with a spray can. Over time, he lost interest in the restrictions of clandestine night time sessions and began looking for ways to express his creativity legally. Smaller commissions followed, along with works on walls and canvases that could be sold. One thing led to another, and Ben's artistic career began to gather momentum.

In his view, street art has changed over the years.

It is no longer simply the ability to master a spray can with precision that matters, but also the opportunity to bring your own creative ideas into the public space and communicate with a wider audience. Bringing the directness and simplicity of the art to the viewer is, in his opinion, one of street art's great strengths.

Unlike works presented in museums and galleries, these artworks reach their audience without being filtered first. Naturally, not everything can therefore be considered “artistically valuable”. “That's life.” That happens, too.

Street art, graffiti art and murals, the term used for large wall paintings, are bold and colourful, he says, fast and direct.

Taking an explicit position or expressing a political viewpoint is not necessarily his intention. He considers art that points directly at social problems, almost as if pointing an artistic finger at them, rather blunt.

Instead, he prefers to raise critical questions through paradoxes: contrasts that, at first glance, appear to contradict one another and not really belong together. In this way, the viewer may be encouraged to think. He does not see it as his task to judge, but rather to make people more aware of their surroundings.

Having one consistent personal style is not the ultimate goal for him. What matters most is the enjoyment he finds in his work. He loves the power of his art and does not necessarily want to follow predetermined or carefully planned paths. A path may sometimes lead in the wrong direction, and his work may take unexpected turns, but ultimately his creations still reveal a certain continuity, a thread running through them.

Krefeld, June 2021