Graphic Design of Scheld’Apen: A Selection of Works from the Physical Archive of Collected Posters, Flyers and Program Booklets - Softcover

Meulengracht-Vrancx, Benny Van Den; Sompele, Bent Vande

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9464363398 ISBN 13: 9789464363395

Publisher: HOPPER&FUCHS, 2025

Synopsis

• Discovering the graphic design of an underground era in Antwerp between, 1998 - 2013
• Graphic design history, printing techniques from serox to artistic screen-printing

Graphic Design of Scheld’Apen is a colourful and punchy poster archive book; a shining star for anyone who loves typography, graphic design, drawing and creative archive material. 

Two artists / musicians from Antwerp worked together for two years, coordinating the poster archive of a former music and art venue in Antwerp called Scheld’Apen, an underground, rough and raw artist centre where many creatives came together in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For each event, a fantastically cool and experimental poster was made and thanks to Benny and Bent, we have a publication that brings this energetic and legendary archive together. 

About this title

About the Author

Benny Van den Meulengracht-Vrancx's and Bent Vande Sompele's art practices revolve around various media: drawings, sculptures, collages, performances, paintings and videos, music, and DJ performances.

From the Back Cover

“Ergens, verscholen in de Antwerpse Zuidrand, omzoomd door eeuwenoude kastanjeschimmels en steunend op een fundament van gedumpte nazipetrol bevond zich ooit een sanitair heiligdom voor avontuurlijke ontlasters. Een hardnekkige urinewasem en een penetrante putlucht dansten er op het door hun duivelspact gedolven graf van ene mijnheer Proper. Desondanks weerhield deze wetenschap een uitgebreide schare aan zeikerds en schijtluizen met een scherpe blik en een talent voor vervoering er niet van zich in het illustere rioolrijk te begeven. Sterker nog, menigeen bracht meer tijd in het olfactorisch oorlogsgebied door dan strikt noodzakelijk was. Snotneuzen en doorzetters konden zich blijven vergapen aan nonsensicale deurconversaties, de onontkoombare grafische gruwel die men tags noemt en de immer muterende murale collage van spuitbuskunst, zwart wit kopij, glossy kleurenprint, een halve flyer en zeefdruk van beperkte oplage. Veel te kort door de bocht gescheurd zou men kunnen stellen dat dit kleinood de gedrukte versie van die beruchte toiletten van Scheld’Apen is.”

Excerpt from introductory text by Pieter Willems, in Dutch.

From 1998 till 2013, a former railwaycanteen on d'Herbouvillekaai in Antwerp that was transformed into a cultural hub by youthful idealists, hoodlums and enthousiasts who called themselves Scheld'Apen, was home to an eclectic stream of artists, with over 1300 events occurring in those 15 years, before inevitably being demolished by city expansion plans. All those events produced a flux of visual communication, an enormous flow of printed media that fascinated artists and Scheld’Apen aficionados Benny Van den Meulengracht-Vrancx and Bent Vande Sompele. Collecting items and building upon an already existing physical archive, they decided to pour a selection of works into a book: Graphic Design of Scheld’apen.

‘Graphic Design of Scheld’Apen’ is the result of two years of collecting, three archival residencies at Het Bos (the new home of the still existing Scheld’Apen organisation) and a short scanning residency at Frans Masereel Centrum. The book contains over 200 graphical works from a variety of different artists, a preface by Pieter Willems and texts by Roel Griffioen and Pia Jacques.

All work was done voluntarily and ordering your book in presale helps solidifying its existence even more. The book launch will take place Thursday, May 18th at The Royal Academy of Antwerp, accompanied by an exhibition displaying key works taken from the archive. You will be given the option to have your book sent to you, or pick it up at the book launch.

The project is a collaboration between artist Benny Van den Meulengracht-Vrancx, musician Bent Vande Sompele, Het Bos and The Royal Academy of Antwerp, under the guidance of Nico Dockx. ‘Graphic Design of Scheld’Apen’ is published by Stockmans Art Books.

Edition details

• Publisher: HOPPER&FUCHS
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9464363398
• ISBN 13: 9789464363395
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264