Family has a mural made of deceased brother

It is a telling portrait of a striking man in Ostend. A fisherman, a loving brother and a chicken breeder… . Wendy Vangheluwe, sister of deceased brother: “It’s just beautiful. Yes, it’s him. When you look at him, tears just spring to your eyes. Forever on our wall. That’s great for us, isn’t it? I never dreamed it could be so beautiful.”

Nooie, because that was the fisherman’s name of Gino Vangheluwe, died suddenly at the age of 53 of heart failure. The initiative comes from the younger brother. “He always took good care of my brother who has a disability. And he wanted to give something back out of gratitude. Teddy wanted to pay tribute to him.”

“Touching”

The well-known inhabitant of Ostend was the oldest of seven. Soon Vynck will also paint a fishing ship in the work, because Nooie has been fishing for more than 20 years. Later he worked for the pilotage service, raised chickens on the Oosteroever and smoked fish for everyone. Siegfried Vynck, aerosol artist: “That really grabs you. It is a very rewarding subject for me. That man was fairly well known in Ostend. Everyone says he looks like two drops of water.”

The artist, whose work can be seen in many places in Europe, is happy that he was once again able to work so large in his own Ostend. The artwork will be officially inaugurated on Friday.