BUE THE WARRIOR
GRAPEFRUIT-HOPS
BUE THE WARRIOR
GRAPEFRUIT HOPS
Dave De Rop, alias BUÉ THE WARRIOR, grew up in a family of cartoonists
With lots of love he carried on the tradition of character design, using the street as his canvas. Clearly influenced by comic strips and cartoons, Bué has created his own visual language, which he translates into a street context. For over 20 years, he has being doing what he loves best: introducing colour and positive energy into the places that need it most. The disarming characters created by this pioneer of Belgian street art are brightening up streets all over the world. Dave also founded Holly Waffles in Mexico City, so we call him a creative entrepreneurial rebel with a lot of heart.
The story behind 'THE AFTERLIFE'
World famous graffiti artist Bué explains: "The skull has always fascinated me, not as a symbol of fear or darkness, but of transformation. When I was working on the Grapefruit Hops piece, I kept thinking about how in Mexican culture, death is celebrated during Día de Muertos. It’s not about mourning, it’s about honouring life. People believe their loved ones come back to celebrate with them. There’s so much joy in the idea: after death comes life. I wanted the illustration to carry that same spirit: the eternal rhythm of life and death, the beauty in what’s no longer here. It’s a reminder that everything is connected, that endings can also be beginnings. I once saw a photo of a dead fox with tiny flowers blooming from its empty eye sockets, nature finding a way to create beauty from loss. That image stayed with me. It’s what this piece is really about: the quiet poetry of renewal.”
