For Lando, whose real name is Melander Holzapfel, the whole thing is still “totally surreal”. A few days before the first of ten concerts by British mega-pop star Adele, a colleague called. During the acceptance of the meticulously styled pop-up stadium with space for 80,000 people on the exhibition grounds in Riem, management had noticed the empty wall of a storage container. It was quickly to be embellished with a portrait of Adele. The result has exceeded all expectations. “The wall has become a real selfie spot,” says the Gilching street artist. He shows videos in which you can see long queues lining up in front of the wall for a photo at the concerts. The facade painting has also appeared on television, in newspapers and on social media. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” marvels team member Bert from Weimar, whose real name is Nils Jänisch.
The contract went to street artist Eliot the Super (Markus Henning), who brought Jänisch and Holzapfel onto the team to strengthen the team. “We’ve known each other since our youth,” explains Holzapfel. At that time, however, the two hadn’t yet taken on any commissioned work, but had sprayed graffiti on walls at night. “I immediately got in the car in Weimar and drove to Munich,” remembers Jänisch. The huge pop-up area in Riem was “really crazy.” Without accreditation, they wouldn’t have been able to get onto the site at all. They even led explosives detection dogs into their car.
The rough guidelines for what was to be painted on the wall were clear: a portrait of a laughing Adele on a black background with planets and the words “Hello, babes!” A huge opportunity for the three street artists, but one that also inspired respect in them. “After all, it’s not just any portrait, but a face that millions of people know. If one eye had been too small or crooked, then I would have failed,” says “Bert” Jänisch, who was responsible for the design, explaining his original concern.
But Holzapfel never really feared that something could go wrong. “Bert is a strong artist who paints like a printer,” he praises. Work on the project lasted from early in the morning until late at night. “We had to stop several times because of rain showers.” Then we had to wait and then dry the wall again with a squeegee and a cloth. Despite this, the mood was good. “Our collaboration is perfect. Everyone knows where the other’s strengths and weaknesses are and, above all, we have a lot of fun together,” reports Jänisch.
Open detailed viewAt first there was just a black wall. (Photo: Lando)
Open detailed viewAnd a photo of Adele. (Photo: Lando)
Open detailed viewThe artists gradually transferred the portrait to the large surface. (Photo: Lando)
Open detailed viewAfter the great success, graffiti artist Melander “Lando” Holzapfel is considering offering artist portraits in the future. (Photo: Lando)
The artists regularly sent updates on the progress of their work to the concert management to get the go-ahead. “By the time we had finished a third of it, Adele had already said she thought it was great. The end result was even better and was an absolute selfie magnet,” says Holzapfel happily. The photo template was ideal, he enthuses. “The big laughing mouth, the flowing hair, the view of the arena … the portrait had a strong long-distance/close-up effect.” Because it was painted close to the ground, you can stand in front of it perfectly for a photo. “We’ve already had to make two adjustments,” says Holzapfel. The large number of people leaning against and touching the picture has left its mark on the work of art. The three-meter-high and two-and-a-half-meter-wide portrait has now been given a particularly durable coat of paint.
Since the picture has “gone through the roof” so much, the three are considering offering artist portraits as photo spots for concerts as a new business model in the future. They have already put their addresses on the bottom of the artwork. “That might bring the next order,” hopes Holzapfel.
The artists had not had any contact with Adele before. “We were of course already familiar with her, she is a superstar after all,” says Jänisch – or as Holzapfel puts it, “an enormously hot number.” During their assignment, the three of them got more involved with the singer and are now almost fans themselves. “I’m impressed that she won an Oscar for the Bond song,” says Jänisch.
Open detailed viewNils “Bert” Jänisch, Markus “Eliot” Henning and Melander “Lando” Holzapfel (from left) in front of their artwork. (Photo: Ronja Hartmann)
The artists have not yet met the singer herself. At least they saw Adele on the big screen beforehand at the dress rehearsal. “It was like a private concert for us.” And they have concert tickets for August 24, which their partners are also coming to. “That was part of the deal,” says Holzapfel. They also received a decent fee, “which we split very fairly.”
And then he has another idea. He wants to auction off a photo portrait signed by Adele and a signed photo of the mural for social purposes for his “Association for the Promotion of Urban Art”, which he co-founded in 2018. Maybe then there will be an opportunity for a photo with the star. The last of the ten Adele concerts will take place on August 31st.
