Who wouldn't love a gift like that by the Dutch artist Jan Heinsbroek, a.k.a. Jan Is De Man, for his friends in Utrecht?
The poverty and dullness of their condominium's facade at Mimosastraat and Amsterdamsestraatweg disheartened them, so they consulted the artist and his gigantic trompe-l'œil expertise. He designed a customized library with spray cans — a virtual one, of course.
"Sometimes I do everything myself, and sometimes I ask others for support and skills to strengthen my work." The latter is the case for Utrecht, where Is De Man called his colleague Deef Feed. In a week, they made a splendid mural, giving life and color to one of the city's dead spots. Jan, though, does not like to take all the credit: "what's often very interesting is to let participants and residents think together so that everyone can identify with the project." This time, he went even further by involving the residents with an intimate and stimulating element: "we asked the community about their favorite books and included them. Any ideas were welcome, except for political or religious works."