Alain Welter

Description

For writers, meaning the great majority of contemporary urban graffiti sprayers, their own stylized artist’s name or tag is the subject. In this spirit, Alain Welter also shapes his pseudonym as a graphic painting. In doing so, through a cropped form he distinguishes himself from writing on canvas, which can often seem cramped and lifeless. The work Iron Mope, which Welter created for the Urban Art Biennale 2022, is a special form of the name’s lettering as visual sampling. Inspired by The World of Music Video in the Völklingen Ironworks taking place in parallel to the Biennale, Welter is referring here to the design of the idiosyncratic British heavy metal band Iron Maiden and their mascot Eddie. Welter studied to become an illustrator, and in the scope of the Capital of Culture Esch 2022 he designed ten busses with (industrial culture) motifs typical of the country. He also, following Iron Maiden’s hit Run to the Hills from 1982, calls for people to rush to the walls and leave Urban Art behind there.