The city as a studio

Guido Günther

Guido Günther looks at the painting he has just sprayed as if he were sitting deep in a meadow of flowers. Margarites and poppies now adorn the previously grey concrete rubbish container. Neighbouring residents look curiously out of their windows or from their balconies, peering out from behind magnificently blooming geraniums. "But you're not the kind of person who smears the façades here," asks an elderly gentleman. Guido Günther takes the sometimes flippant, sometimes complimentary remarks in his stride. He has been working as a graffiti artist under his label "Rebel Art" since 2004. Many of his works can be seen in public spaces in Chemnitz. He was one of the first tradespeople to consciously move to Brühl and believed in the revitalisation of the district from the outset.He is involved in the European Art Community, wants to develop an artists' house on Brühl 67 with the help of a cooperative, organises the Baumwollbaum creative market with other players on Brühl and is also involved in the organisation of the next Brühlfest on 1 August

The cultural summer on the Brühl aroused great interest last year. Is something similar planned again? What is happening on the Brühl this summer?
Guido Günther : A big Brühl festival is planned for the beginning of August. Inspire has invited Americans and we will continue the planting activities on the Brühl. We'll get raised beds from the GGG and plant them with herbs, tomatoes and strawberries. There will be readings and discussions, lots of music.

What is your main aim?
Similar to the cotton tree, we want to put the Brühl in the spotlight. I would like it if we could bring back the market idea. Brühl used to be a real market district. For all I care, there could be a market here every week: Organic markets, swap markets, clothes fairs, flea markets, creative markets. We don't want to compete with the weekly market. More like a small neighbourhood market. We want Brühl to be a lively, colourful district: sometimes loud, sometimes quirky and always with a great sense of community.

What fascinates you personally about Brühl?
It's very informal. I now actually know everyone who lives or does something there. I can talk to everyone there, we have barbecues, sit together, organise events. It's a very direct and nice exchange.

"Is that painted or stuck on?" a local resident bursts into our conversation as she wants to take away her rubbish. "Painted" "What kind of flowers are these?" Guido Günther replies in a relaxed manner: "Margarites, poppies".

The neighbourhood is cool. The long shopping street with the houses. Residential and commercial areas close together. Brühl could actually become a microcosm. It's laid out very differently to Kaßberg or other neighbourhoods. There is space here, especially for shops and markets.

Your Rebel Art shop or studio is also at home on Brühl. So art is also part of the neighbourhood?
Absolutely. Even before the GGG launched the "Living and working on Brühl" campaign, I had decided in favour of Brühl with Rebel Art back in 2004. Because I've always been there, I think that's where I belong. At the moment, we're more of a wild studio with the option of selling a few spray cans. But we are developing further. We will separate the studio from the textile finishing and turn it into two shops. I'm convinced that a gallery is a good fit for Brühl. If this is going to be a young, hip neighbourhood, it also needs a gallery, which hasn't existed in Chemnitz yet.

So you have now acquired your own building on the Brühl?
Yes, exactly. The basic idea was that we see our place on the Brühl. The idea of project houses allows us to realise ourselves here. We are a bunch of creative people who have been working together for years and we want to create space for ourselves. We've formed a co-operative and bought this house. And that's cool because it's very democratic. It's not about who holds the most shares. No matter how big the share is, everyone has a vote. We are a group of friends and we honestly want to maintain this friendship. And the aim is to really create space. So far, my shop has been a junk room because I haven't had room in the 300 square metres for a long time. The people I work with are also developing. In the Künstlerhaus, we have the option for people to spread out.

What do you want the Künstlerhaus to look like?
People have larger studio flats where they can work on their own. We have a communal studio on the upper floor and guest flats for the association projects, so that we can also invite artists from time to time. Previously, we always had to accommodate them in the circle of friends. The gallery will then open on the ground floor so that those who create something can also exhibit it. Many galleries in the city say we don't want you, you're too "street art". So we'll open our own gallery. And it will definitely be the coolest gallery in the city (laughs). It's 7300 cubic metres of enclosed space, it's going to be huge. The co-operative also calls itself 7300 cubic metres. We want to combine what we've been doing for years in this property.

When will it start?
Right now. I'm moving out of my shop at the end of August and moving in. I'll probably be living and working on the building site for a few months at first. But that doesn't matter. It's about the cause. I've set myself the goal of moving out now and starting again. That's what I'm doing now. No matter how. I'm looking forward to the situation. That's also the cool thing about self-development. People are keen to do things themselves, to sand the floor and paint the windows and do the staircase themselves. Many people look forward to doing something crafty after their office work.

Which of your art projects have been the most fun?
It's actually always the last projects that I particularly enjoy. For example, a gymnasium in Ludwig-Kirch-Straße. We painted a huge "little" burglar on the façade. But the GGG pinboard on Gustav-Freytag-Straße is also cool.

What do you think makes good graffiti in public spaces?
Good graffiti has to create a symbiosis with the architecture. It shouldn't just be placed on the building. What I don't like at all is when it's sprayed on porphyry plinths or when colours are used that don't match the object. It has to make sense in the surroundings.

"You've done a lovely job," an elderly couple interrupts us. "It's a shame that the container here in front is still grey" Guido Günther explains what he is painting before the two gentlemen move on.

Can your graffiti also be seen in other cities?
We can be seen a lot in Austria, actually all over Europe. Next week we're going to Vienna. Zurich, Munich. I'm travelling a lot. It's just real business. I don't necessarily always paint what I want, I'm a service provider and paint what the customer expects. Maybe one day I'll get round to selling my art - in our gallery at the latest. Commissioned painting is often about brightening things up, like this container thing here. What do I want here with street art? I need something here that the residents like and that suits the client, in this case Caritas. It should fit in with the surroundings. And we realise that people are enthusiastic about it here.

Are there any other places apart from the Brühl that you like in Chemnitz?
Chemnitz has an incredible number of beautiful places. I grew up in the Luther neighbourhood. It's beautiful there. Many houses have been renovated in recent years and the Luther Church with the greenery around it. Gablenz - perhaps not directly on the tram line, but further back in the garden estate. Marvellous. I also like being in Glösa, there's a great community there. From my point of view, Sonnenberg is exciting for the creative industries. There are really affordable flats there and a lot has happened in recent years.

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Yes, we do! Many people don't believe in the potential of their city. I can't understand that. I would like the people of Chemnitz to stop getting so worked up and look more at what they have here. We're not an art city now, we don't have an art university. But we should capitalise on our potential as an industrial city. If industry becomes more firmly anchored here, that can also be good for the creative scene.