Colorful, cheerful, and perfectly suited to the neighborhood. That’s how the murals that have recently adorned the metro tunnels in Ommoord can be described. The art was created by artists Roza Dzhakova and Karishma Advani. The renovated tunnels were opened in early September.

At the opening, Robert van Klaveren from the Neighborhood Council Ommoord. Link opens an external page gave a short speech. The neighborhood council is the client for this project. And they toasted with non-alcoholic bubbles. Residents foundation De Witte Bollen presented the neighborhood council with a panoramic photo of the mural on plexiglass as a gift.

Peter Buisman from the residents foundation explains why this approach was chosen. The metro tunnels are often vandalized with graffiti. It doesn’t look nice and creates a feeling of insecurity. These cheerful paintings create a completely different atmosphere.

Home

Artists Roza and Karishma painted recognizable artworks of Ommoord on the four walls, such as the Witte Bollen, the Chicken, and the Elephants. It gives the feeling that you are in Ommoord, that you are home, Peter explains. Roza and Karishma are part of the Kunstkring Prins Alexander. Peter is also active in this. A project like this mural is a great way for young emerging artists to gain experience. They can put this project on their CV, and we can enjoy their beautiful work.

Reactions

The artists received a lot of feedback from residents of Ommoord and passersby during the execution of their work. People appreciate that something is being done to the tunnels and find it beautiful that there are pieces of Ommoord to see. Positive messages also came in via email and social media. One resident said: Every time I ride past, I get a smile on my face. The tunnels have been completely brightened up, very nice.

Rotterdam Neighborhood News

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