En Plein Public

Whatever his nom de plume might suggest – ‘en plein public’ is French for ‘in the public eye’ – Antwerp resident Frederik Lizen would never describe himself as a street artist. That did not, however, stop him from making a name for himself by “plastering” non-spaces in the public sphere … with a lot of humour as well as an idiosyncratic attitude towards both art history and its surroundings. As a result, modern arts centre M HKA has asked him to paint its facade, and he also descended on Ostend at the invitation of The Crystal Ship to be inspired by James Ensor, industrious fishermen, thieving seagulls and chillaxing seals.