Koekelberg Mural Calls: Simonis and Gemba Frescoes

About this call

The municipality of Koekelberg in Brussels, Belgium, has opened two calls for a mural in public space as part of the urban renewal contract CRU n°6 "Autour de Simonis", under which an intercommunal art route along the boundary between Koekelberg and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is being developed over several years. One wall is a smooth concrete wall on rue Herkoliers (14.28 x 1.4 m, 20 m2 to paint) budgeted at a maximum of EUR 10,000 incl. VAT; the other is a ribbed concrete facade along rue Gemba and chaussée de Jette (115 x 1.48 m, 170.2 m2) budgeted at a maximum of EUR 20,000 incl. VAT. The theme is the border, understood as a limit between two territories and also as a place of passage, meeting and connection between the two municipalities. For each call an advisory committee helps the municipality choose three artists, and a public online vote decides between the three projects; the winning project is chosen by 1 April 2027 at the latest. Proposals are judged on artistic quality and relevance (40%), fit with the site and context (20%), experience and references (15%), methodology and technical approach (15%) and durability and quality of materials (10%).

Who can apply

• International applicants
• Medium: Painting
• Entry fee: See official site
• Open to any individual, collective, street artist, painter or academy practising urban mural art. Send the application by email to puyttendaele@koekelberg.brussels and quartier@koekelberg.brussels by 22 November 2026 at 23:59. The dossier must contain a statement of intent (about one A4 page), a sketch of the proposed work in its setting (projection, collage, etc.), a portfolio or references of past work, a detailed itemised quote, and a production schedule of at most 10 working days (Simonis wall) or 15 working days (Gemba wall). Incomplete dossiers are excluded. The budget is all inclusive and the artist is responsible for all of it; the proposed split must be approved by the municipality, at least 50% must go to the material production of the work, and the rest is shared fairly between design, the artist's pay and other items. The work must not cause problems for road users (no overly flashy colours, no long text or text that requires stopping). The municipality cleans the wall beforehand and files the planning permit application; the artist applies the primer and the anti-graffiti coat. The selected artist has one month after notification to deliver the final project, modified if needed on the municipality's recommendations at no extra cost, signs a collaboration agreement with the municipality, and has 10 to 15 days at most to paint from the start date set at a preparatory meeting. The work must be original and the artist bears responsibility for any third-party claim of infringement; ownership and copyright pass to the municipality of Koekelberg on acceptance of the work. The call documents are published in French and Dutch; the Dutch version gives wijk@koekelberg.brussels in place of quartier@koekelberg.brussels.