Hendrik Beikirch painted the 600 square meter portrait of the former ironworker Kaya Urhan on the metal cladding of the former Saarstahl continuous casting plant on Rathausstrasse. Beikirch, who as a graffiti artist is one of the most important European pioneers in the development of today's urban mural painting, has long focused on monumental monochrome portraits of real people. Kaya Urhan, portrayed here, came to Völklingen from Turkey in 1971 and experienced the last tapping at blast furnace III in 1986. Even in retirement, he has always remained an avowed Völklinger. With the structural change, he became a contemporary witness to the Völklingen Ironworks. He himself filmed one of the last working days at the pig iron production in 1986. This means that the World Heritage Site can now present this unique document online from the authentic perspective of the local workers. “What makes a region special is always created by the lives and actions of those who spend their lives there,” says Hendrik Beikirch. With his portrait he helps ensure that no one overlooks this so easily.

Text Credits: https://voelklinger-huette.org/de/kuenstlerinnen/hendrik-beikirch/