Brussels Street Art, the Giant Penis Mystery and Bonom

b0g · #1 ● 02-04-2017, 10:39 AM

Bonom is the Banksy of Brussels. Since 2006, he has been spraying animals and dinosaur skeletons in some of the city's most inaccessible places. A giant Tyrannosaurus skeleton appeared on a wall opposite Bozar at the end of 2008. An elephant popped up overnight on a wall of the National Library in February 2009.

Like many people, I have sometimes speculated about the identity of Bonom. I imagined him as a Belgian. He is brave, like Tintin, but also melancholy, like Magritte or Brel. He knows the city will never respect his art, but he carries on regardless.

Now we know his identity. He revealed it recently in an interview with the city paper Brussel deze Week. It turns out that I was wrong. He is a French artist called Vincent Glowinski. He told the paper that he had stopped spraying drawings because the police knew his identity. (after a fall)

But a few days ago, a new work appeared on a high wall above Avenue Louise. It showed a naked woman masturbating. Many people thought it was Bonom's work. He said nothing.

Now a new work has appeared on the side of a block of flats near the Porte de Hal. It represents a skeletal old man who also appears to be masturbating. Bonom remains silent.

His delicate drawings sometimes last less than an hour before someone comes along with a bucket of caustic chemicals to wash it away. Yet Bonom is slowly conquering Brussels with his strange bestiary, creating an alternative history for this slate grey city filled with dull modern buildings.

map : http://www.bonom.be/

b0g · #2 ● 02-04-2017, 03:49 PM

I forgot to mention what made me report these works: the anus, decapitation, phallus, man, woman and corpse wall were made in 1 streak. In darkness overnight. No scaffold was at the sites, and is not thought to be have been used. Only climbing gear. There are no tags of the creator(s). There is a solid omerta amongst the resident street artists.