Mick La Rock (Aileen Middel) was born and raised in Groningen, but now lives and works in Amsterdam. From the age of 14, she has been active in the Groningen graffiti scene and since then has quickly made a name for herself as one of the few female graffiti artists. Most recently, in 2021, she co-curated the Graffiti in Groningen exhibition and has exhibitions all over the world. For her, the mural under the Emmaviaduct is also a reunion with Quik, with whom they had already made works on the same spot together in 1992.
Mick: “This is a mural in a traditional stylewriting graffiti, which differs from street art in that it consists of letter styles developed in the 1970s, early 1980s, by people from New York. Quik himself is from that generation and is also a great of this New York primal graffiti. That is one of the reasons why we decided to spray this mural in this style. In doing so, it is close to the heritage of Groningen stylewriting graffiti, which is similar to this and where my own roots also lie.
Graffiti has been very important to me in life, and not just as a career. I used to be quite unsure of myself and graffiti gave me a prestige that I could not have given myself otherwise. It really helped me. I think the same goes for a lot of other people who are into graffiti in that it gives you a prestige and self-confidence that you might not be able to muster in any other way. There used to be less prosperity and life was quite tough for many people and graffiti was a way to show that we existed too and people should take us into account. I may live in Amsterdam now and travel all over the world, but Groningen will always have a special place for me.”
Quik also has a long history in Groningen. Born in 1958 in Queens, New York, the artist continued living in Groningen after the high-profile exhibition Coming from the Subway: New York Graffiti Art (1992-1993) until 2006. Groningen offered him a freedom and appreciation that was far from available in America.
Quik: “That time was an important period in my life. In America, I was hounded by the police and life as a black man was tough. Here in Groningen, everything was totally different. My work hung in museums and the quality of life here is unprecedented. I have lived in Hollywood and Paris, but Groningen and especially Schiermonnikoog remain my favourite places on earth. Life goes a little slower here than in other places and in the past it has given me a chance to catch my breath and really become a man. It was a time when I also needed and received a lot of support, including from Frans Haks, the then director of the Groninger Museum. But now is the time for me to give back to the community of Groningen. Hugo Enwerda of the Kladmuur Foundation asked me to make this mural and this was an opportunity for me to be of use to someone else and reach a new audience. The work Hugo does for the community and the effort to preserve heritage is important. I was always discouraged in my country and have always been encouraged by everyone, and as long as I still have energy to work I will also try to encourage other people in graffiti art.”