Skip to main content
Go to the homepage of Ticket to Tilburg

Joep van Gassel: 'We are becoming more and more famous as a city, but we also have to stay raw.

What's going on in your head when you cycle through Tilburg? We spoke with Joep van Gassel, an urban artist who brightens up our city with his large wall and floor paintings in public space. Maybe you bumped into some of them! Tilburg is a city for makers, a city for me. A raw city that fortunately isn't quite finished yet, but every now and then the city can use a little more colour! What else the city misses according to Joep? That's what you read here.

Joep van Gassel is the fourth generation in the family to turn his artistic passion into his profession. From an early age Joep was already busy drawing. 'From where I stand now it was quite a process. I've taken several design courses.' In Breda he was able to further develop his passion at the St. Joost Academy of Art and Design. Yet Breda was ultimately not the city for Joep. 'It could be done in Tilburg, both culturally and musically. As far as I'm concerned, Breda has now caught up with the number of large murals. I hope for Tilburg that they will catch up in the future!'

Art with the society

'I am mainly engaged in the production of paintings in public space, both murals and floor paintings. I always try to make sure that the environment is improved by the things I make. For this I always involve the users in the process. An example of this is my first large floor painting on the Stuivesantplein that was designed in consultation with primary school Panta Rhei. The children have indicated which elements they would like to see reflected in the painting and many elements of this have returned in the painting. Another example is an upcoming project which I am going to carry out at Wijkcentrum De Poorten in Tilburg. They were looking for a way to indicate a smoke-free zone. For them I make a floor painting that is functional and makes the surroundings a bit more colourful. Do you want to smoke? Then I have to do it somewhere else.'

Art in public space

Do you ever want to see Joep's work for real? You can! For example, there is a nice painting on the Textielplein which was made in consultation with the neighborhood. 'Everything about the work of art has a meaning. For example, the design is a textile pattern, it is located on the corner of Textielplein and Dessinateurstraat, a dessiner is a pattern maker and connects it to the history of the neighborhood. Finally, it is made up of plants from which the primary colours used to be extracted for dyeing textiles'.

Other works of art by Joep can be found under the bridge at the Ringbaan-Oost near Piushaven. Joep describes his style as a graphic/illustrative style with a limited colour palette. 'The image really has to pop. Everyone who sees it has to think: there's really something there!'

'Tilburg could use some more urban art!'

Joep thinks that Tilburg is becoming more and more a city for urban art. Over the last ten years, Tilburg has certainly undergone a good development. 'Where in the past only large sculptures brightened up the city, now you see more large paintings. As far as I'm concerned, this can happen even more often and regularly. I think Tilburg could use a festival that focuses entirely on producing large murals: a mural festival. In other cities such as Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Goes this is already happening, but there is also a lot of attention for this outside of the Netherlands. As far as I'm concerned, Tilburg lacks that: structurally large paintings that are produced in the city. Let's brighten up the city and make it sustainable, so that it will still be there in ten years' time.'

'Tilburg, stay raw. Become greener and brighter'

Tilburg is getting better and better and that's a good thing! Yet Joep hopes that the city will keep its raw edge. 'Tilburg is not the most beautiful city and it doesn't have to be! Because that raw part of the city has something, but let's not make everything so grey and square.' Joep's wish is to be allowed to paint a small apartment building someday. 'Not too high, because I'm afraid of heights. But, for example, Talentsquare could certainly use a little more colour fantasy!'

The great thing about Tilburg is that it is a city that is not finished. It's raw. Here you can do certain things that are more difficult in other cities. But they shouldn't make it too stylized, because then the tension goes off. And that's the same at Piushaven. That's why I agree with Michel Deneef who said that Piushaven was more exciting at first than it is now. Soon, when it's all about houses, the raw material will be gone. The same goes for the Spoorzone. I hope they don't fill it up with houses. The trick is to keep the distinctive creative character. That's a problem they also encounter in, for example, Strijp-S in Eindhoven. That used to be very cool, but now a lot of people are going to live there and it's getting less interesting. Or take the inner city of Den Bosch: looks great, but what's the point?

I'm a maker, I can do my thing here in Tilburg. Let's stay raw and stick to the trend of more colour and green in the city. Tilburg is doing well! Now let's get into sixth gear.'

 

UNFILTERED OPINION OF THE PEOPLE OF TILBURG

Within this section we give creative Tilburgers a stage. A Ticket to... the expression of their unfiltered opinion about the city. Are you curious who also has something to say about Tilburg other than Joep van Gassel? Then you should definitely read these interviews:

This website uses cookies

This website uses cookies that are required for the website to perform as good as possible. By clicking on "I accept all cookies", you agree with the use of these cookies.

More information about cookies