ONE WALL by Katrien Vanderlinden

Last week, Belgian street artist Katrien Vanderlinden transformed a basketball court in Berlin-Spandau into one of her artistic Hypecourts as part of URBAN NATION’s ONE WALL series. She received support from the children in the neighbourhood, who helped her create the unique work of art with a lot of joy and enthusiasm.

While painting the court, Vanderlinden placed special emphasis on the motif being visible from all sides. Since the court is lined with high-rise buildings, the image should be easily recognisable from every angle. In addition, her design is based exactly on the standardised court markings of a basketball court: zones and lines are retained so that the court can still be played on according to FIBA standards.

The 1980s as inspiration

Vanderlinden finds inspiration for her work in the vibrant colour palette of the 1980s. The presence of the line also connects to the aesthetics of the era. Although her paintings tend towards abstraction in their entirety, the artist always makes use of concrete forms and elements that have human features. Eyes, mouths and ears in luminous tones make it possible to understand the work at a glance. Through her large-scale interventions in urban space, Vanderlinden succeeds in joining forces with contemporary colleagues who take a similar approach. She particularly appreciates the artists Camille Walala and Alex Proba, whose works also seem to be connected to the murals and textile design of the 1980s.

(Museums management and choice of artist: Jan Sauerwald)

Launch with ‘Spielmobil’ and ALBA Berlin

At the end of the creative week, the children were treated to the grand opening of the Hypecourt. Together with ALBA Berlin staff, they were able to shoot a few baskets and try out the new court. In addition, the Gewobag play mobile was on site and also provided a variety of entertainment.