Friday, the 8th of January was see the release of ★ (Blackstar), the new album from David Bowie, distributed by Sony Music. To mark this event, on the 8th and 9th of January, the young Liege-based artist NOIR Artist created a giant “David Bowie” mural, in the Toison d’Or, shopping mall in Brussels (Avenue de la Toison d’Or/Guldenvlieslaan No. 20 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.). This mural will be an opportunity for fans of the singer to win a fantastic “Bowie-themed” city trip. The person who comes closest to guessing the time it will take to create the mural will win a city trip for two people to go see the famous exhibition "David Bowie is" in Groningen (Pays-Bas). Entries are accepted between the 8th and 24th of January.
The contest winner will receive a ticket for two for the exhibition and an overnight stay for two people in Groningen. The exhibition, which has travelled around the world, started in London in 2013 and was seen by 300,000 visitors in six months. It has also attracted major stars like Vivienne Westwood, Robert Redford, Anna Wintour and Kate Moss. After Toronto, Sao Paulo, Chicago, Paris and Melbourne in particular, Groningen is the last city to host this unique exhibition.
The Blackstar album
One rainy Sunday evening, David Bowie walked incognito into the "55 Bar", an old jazz club located in New York’s West Village. He came out shortly afterwards without saying anything. A week later, the jazz band of saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who were playing that night, received an email from him suggesting that they record a song together. It all started with a song on David Bowie’s compilation in 2014. It didn’t take long for this adventure to evolve into a new album in a very eclectic style, as one would expect from David Bowie, an artist who pushes back boundaries and sets the tone. In short, the work of a genius.
The album ★ was produced by Tony Visconti, a close friend of Bowie’s. Visconti says that he and Bowie listened a lot to Kendrick Lamar when producing this new album.
On ★, we also find, along with Donny McCaslin, James Murphy, leader of the group LCD Sound System and a personal friend of David Bowie’s.
The artist NOIR Artist
Lucien Gilson, aka NOIR Artist, is a 26-year old up-and-coming artist from Liege, known for his monumental and realistic murals painted in shades of black. The contrast between black and white is for him the highest degree of purity. His works have already been exhibited, in Paris and Strasbourg in particular. Modest, the young man is making a more than promising entry into the art world. Having come to fame on the social networks, it did not take long to convince him to pay a very personal tribute to the inevitable cultural icon that is David Bowie.
From mural to memorial
Following the announcement of the death of David Bowie on the 10th of January, the mural created by NOIR Artist has become a memorial. Many onlookers stop before it to take a photograph or leave a message.
