The second mural

For the second mural in the Poetry Unbound series, Antwerp-based artist Larsen Bervoets joined forces with Macedonian poet Nikola Madzirov to transform the entrance façade of the Blikfabriek in Hoboken into a meeting place of geometry and verse.

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Bervoets (Antwerp, 1979) is a multidisciplinary and experimental artist whose work spans murals, sculpture, installations, and design. Fascinated by the interaction of colour and space, perspective, and the play of light and shadow, he often constructs sleek geometric compositions that give the illusion of three-dimensional space on flat surfaces — a challenge he sums up with a wry twist: “2D or not 2D, that’s the question.”

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When Madzirov arrived in Antwerp for his Poetry Unbound residency, the two artists met to exchange ideas about perception, architecture, and the role of poetry in public space. As Bervoets developed his visual design, Madzirov’s poem “Distance is a Moving Wall” became an integral part of the composition. Painted directly onto the mural, the text brings an emotional counterpoint to the crisp geometry, speaking of memory, absence, and the shifting landscapes of human experience.

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The choice of the Blikfabriek as a site is deeply symbolic. Once an abandoned factory, it has been reinvented as a vibrant community hub — home to studios, workshops, dance halls, a skate park, a neighbourhood café, and green outdoor spaces. Here, creativity and connection thrive side by side, and everyone is welcome.

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Positioned at the very entrance, the mural acts as both a visual landmark and a threshold: an invitation to step inside a space where industrial heritage meets contemporary imagination, and where poetry and art are part of the everyday fabric of community life.