Awel Zunne

During the Wereld van de Witte de With festival in 2005, Studio VollaersZwart presented Awel Zunne — a bold graphic statement stretching across both the Witte de Withstraat and the façade of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The work consisted of 600 posters designed in the style of “for sale” signs, attached to façades, windows, and shopfronts. These brightly colored signs, created in the hues of the Dutch and Belgian flags, temporarily transformed the city into a sea of flags — a vivid celebration of humor, language, and image.

The slogan Awel Zunne — a cheerful Flemish expression — suddenly appeared everywhere, as a pop art–like motif that both unsettled and intrigued the city. Along the Witte de Withstraat, the signs formed a colorful route guiding visitors past galleries and installations, while the monumental façade of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen elevated the work — quite literally — to an institutional scale. The familiar shape of the “for sale” sign, normally a symbol of vacancy or transition, was here transformed into graphic guerrilla art: a temporary urban takeover through creativity.

The project was curated and coordinated by Mothership, commissioned by September in Rotterdam, part of Rotterdam Festivals.