Colourful, creative and back to Chemnitz, the German street art festival IBUg returns with more than 100 national and international artists including Sam Worthington aka Wasp Elder who painted this wonderful mural entitled ‘Para’ (to shield) at an old factory in the area.
The building on which the mural was painted was used as an armament during the war and was occupied by female prisoners of war. The women were forced to work making weapons that were used to fight the enemy. It later became a textiles factory. The history of the building is dark and i felt the residents of the area didn’t need to be reminded of the story’s so i wanted to paint something symbolic to protection.
Since last Friday on August 24 the invited artists have been transforming a remnant of Saxonian industrial culture into a center for arts. This year’s line-up includes names such as Various & Gould (D), Kera 1 (D), UderSchindl (D), Tape That (D), Milo (CZ), Inso Inso (CH), Opiemme (I), Angel Toren (E), Spidertag (E), Elparo (F), Arthur Louis Ignoré (F), Wasp Elder (GB), Jo Higgs (GB), Helen Bur (GB), Lost Optics (RO), Alonso Cisneros (USA), Ilana Pichon (CDN), Halo (BR), Colectivo Licuado (ROU) and Metzican (MEX) among many others.
We really look forward to see what this year’s festival will bring.
About the artist
Wasp Elder aka Sam Worthington was born in the UK in 1986. Wasp Elder is a socially engaged artist who paints pictures populated by enigmatic figures and unstressed backgrounds, enticing a sentiment of an obscure journey. His paintings present an evocative combination of solitary figures, collaged scenes, close-ups, obscured features, and potential catastrophe. Through this working process he is able to present often marginalised figures through a dignified representation. Highlighting their humanity outside of the conflict that is seen to define them.
More about Wasp Elder on: website | facebook | instagram
About IBUg
The ibug’s roots go back to the year 2006, the small saxonian city Meerane, an artist called Tasso and his pursuit of development. The first small get – together over 10 years ago meanwhile became an internationally known festival f or urban art and culture. Traditionally taking place at the last weekend in August somewhere in West – Saxony, an industrial brownfield is opened for Street art , Graffiti, and Media Artists from all over the world. Each one of them brings in his or her creativity into a synthesis of the arts. The mix of genres, styles, materials and techniques as well as the history of the brownfield play a key role in the annual experiment.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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