For the 2012 edition of Getxophoto, the Berlin-based collective Mentalgassi is transforming two public spaces in Getxo using their signature approach: large-scale printed photographs installed directly onto the architecture and urban landscape, utilising the specific context of the site—the proximity of the sea, the texture of the walls, the presence of the unsuspecting public—as an integral part of the work.

Their installations evoke gestures typical of childhood: play, exploration of the surroundings, handling objects with one’s hands. Mentalgassi transposes these onto a monumental scale and integrates them into the public space, engaging passers-by who are not always children, but who recognise in the images something of which they were once part of.

Mentalgassi is a Berlin artists’ collective. What started out as an alternative to graffiti, quickly developed into a whole new world for its components. By playing with different forms of wheat-pastes they received broad recognition and found out that people react more to photography than they sometimes do to the rather cryptic world of abstract street art. Their mission is to make people see everyday situations from another perspective and maybe even make them smile. This could be called urban entertainment, because what they do is play around with new techniques and images to surprise people.

Mentalgassi (Germany, 2006)
Playground

2012 Edition
Outdoor installation
Venue: Ereaga Beach