Art appreciation can be a stuffy field, but an upcoming event aims to bring the medium to a rockin’ new crowd.
Belgian architecture student Arno Major is organising a massive moshpit in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre next month, and things are getting hilariously out of hand.
This kind of stunt is a common trope in Belgium, as Major explains to the NME, although the particular ingenuity of this one has seen interest quickly spread internationally.
“In Belgium there’s this thing on Facebook where people make all sorts of random stupid events that make no sense at all, for example ‘Belgian championship for the longest time driving left with a Fiat Multipla’, and all those kinds of stupid events,” he explains.
“So last week I was in Paris with a friend and we decided to go to the Louvre. I’ve been there a lot so I kinda know my way around a bit and the room where the Mona Lisa hangs is always fully packed with tourists who just take one stupid picture of the painting and then leave again without actually giving themselves a moment to enjoy all the art around them.
“So I just made this joke to my friend – what would happen if we start an actual mosh pit? It was just a simple joke and then we instantly had the idea to make a Facebook event because we thought art can be less static too.
“So it was actually meant as a joke and I never really imagined it would blow up in the way it already has.”
For those interested in making the trip, you’ll need to be at the Louvre on February 10, at 2.35pm. No doubt they will be beefing up security, so don’t try to sneak MDMA in.
