Internationally-acclaimed and notoriously innovative street artist Judith de Leeuw, who goes by the moniker JDL Street Art, recently completed a breathtaking new mural at the Mjölby Central Station in Sweden. Her new work, titled A beautiful pile of trash & connections stands proud amongst all four stories of the facade it occupies, facing the adjacent train tracks to bestow itself upon countless grateful commuters.
A statement from the artist explains that “The mural depicts a 85-year old grandmother on a unicorn standing on a mountain of trash.” A beautiful pile of trash & connections draws heavily from real life — its figure is actually painted from a photo staged specifically for the concept. The human model is Frieda Bossima, seated upon a regal horse model named Roderick and shot by photographer Leo Veger.
Bossima is pictured wearing sleeping clothes, from a low camera angle. “The low angle makes her seem powerful and strong, conquering the world in her dream,” JDL explained. Beyond the image’s pure cinematic grandeur, its connection to real-life extends one step further. JDL’s statement continues to note that “This mural is a tribute to one of the most admirable people that I’ve met in the past seven years.”
A beautiful pile of trash & connections honors a gifted musician that JDL met first in 2013 and again in 2020. JDL recalled that her muse “found her strongest power in her darkest and most chaotic period of her life.” JDL and the musician reunited recently while the latter grappled with her own mental illness. The musician still managed to record the song ‘Safe and Sound,’ in the throes of this battle. “The mural is meant to be a strong reminder towards people in the darkest period of time that their talents, beauty and admiration will never disappear,” JDL stated.
“The music that has been produced through this period of psychosis deserves great respect that can inspire plenty of people to make the best of the worst circumstances,” the muralist continued, calling her friend’s commitment to creating an inspiration “during the partial collapse (and the beauty that comes with) of society during the pandemic.”
Over the course of their year spent making art and music together, JDL learned a significant amount about the lived experience of mental illness from conversations with her friend. “She told me everything about her psychosis,” JDL recalled. “Shockingly; It was beautiful and she missed it. She wanted to go back. That’s when I realized how beautiful this ‘Pile of trash & connections’ could be.” JDL’s mural, notable for its extreme technical talent and hyper-ambitious scale, will bring her friend’s dream to life by utilizing AR technology to animate the work for viewers.
JDL’s biography cites that this Amsterdam-raised artist began working with spray paint at age 15 “as a rebel on the street.” She earned her degree in Art & Design before studying at the Willem de Kooning Academy in 2016. JDL’s career evolved quickly, likely due to her innate talents and inquisitive desire to reach for loftier concepts. “JDL uses her art to translate emotion, but the concepts are deeply themed around her surroundings and social issues,” the bio explains. “This is also a reason for JDL’s big love for public space.”
Her latest work was curated by Artscape Festival, “a nonprofit organization that seeks to inspire people and promote public art for everyone.” Based in Sweden, Artscape notes their belief “that the dominance of the advertising boards in the modern cityscape needs to be challenged.” They hold several predominant values in their mission — bringing art to the people, social sustainability, cultural diversity, equality, elevating the UNs SDGs, and innovating the art form. Regarding the latter, their website notes that “By pushing the boundaries of art in the public space, Artscape has become a prominent voice in the global contemporary urban art scene.”
A beautiful pile of trash & connections pushes boundaries for JDL as an artist and Artscape as an organization — two entities already characterized by a spirit of experimentation. In celebrating the mystery of mental illness rather than stigmatizing it or seeing it as an evil to be overcome, this mural lends a new level of acceptance to society’s regard for the human condition. 2020, more than any year in recently memory, has helped prove that reality is truly subjective. It begins in the mind. Riders passing through the Mjölby Central Station might not know the deep backstory which drove this piece, but with its unavoidable visual inevitability and uncanny content, A beautiful pile of trash & connections will shock even the most grounded individual from their regular programming.
JDL Street Art: website | facebook | instagram
ArtScape Festival: website | facebook | instagram
