Benjamin Fuchs, a 29-year-old street artist known by his artistic alias "Heinerstyle," is bringing vibrant colors to the streets of Darmstadt, Germany, through his legal graffiti art on utility boxes and building walls. The artist, who refuses to be photographed without his spray can, has already transformed approximately 20 distribution and storage boxes throughout the city, citing the need to combat the excessive gray environment in the urban landscape.
Fuchs recently completed two eye-catching pieces on Schulstraße as part of a project initiated by the local business association. One artwork features the White Tower with a yellow-and-black bee and red poppy, while another depicts the tip of the "Langen Lui" landmark. The project received enthusiastic support from Deutsche Post, whose delivery point manager Max Sonne explained their backing: "Diversity and colorful life are part of our DNA, so why not colorful storage boxes too?"
The artist deliberately chooses organic motifs to counter what he sees as an overwhelmingly gray cityscape. Many of his works showcase local landmarks including the Langen Lui, the Woog, the stadium, and the Orangery. A notable example is his three-year-old wall mural next to the Krone restaurant, which has successfully prevented graffiti vandalism on surrounding building walls. "When a surface is beautifully designed, it's not as appealing for scribbling," Fuchs observed.
Fuchs creates custom artwork based on client requests, always presenting preliminary sketches before beginning work. His portfolio includes diverse subjects from dogs, peacocks, and horses to abstract designs like an eye peering from a wall. He works on various surfaces including garage doors, barn gates, bicycle trailers, construction fences, and building walls. In 2021, he created a portrait of a Black woman on Heinrich Street as an anti-racism message, which the building owner enthusiastically called "the Mona Lisa of Heinrich Street." However, Fuchs remains modest about the comparison, stating that "art should never compare itself to other art."
The artist admits he was somewhat overwhelmed when creating that massive portrait over four sweltering days, but believes his skills have improved significantly since then. "I'd like to do something like that again," he said. For over four years, Fuchs has been financing his design studies at Darmstadt University through his art, which also includes logo and lettering design. Originally trained as an educator working with children, he pivoted to self-employment when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his career path.
Today, Fuchs also offers spray painting workshops for young people, finding it rewarding for kids to directly impact their environment. However, he criticizes the lack of legal spaces for spray artists in Darmstadt, despite acknowledging the city's relatively good standing with the Lincoln Wall—one of Germany's largest legal spray walls—along with the Blossom Tunnel in Arheilgen and a wall on the B3 in Eberstadt. "You could beautify the entire city if property owners just wanted it," he argued, emphasizing that legal street art also helps prevent unwanted vandalism.
Beyond his work as a street artist, Fuchs is actively involved with the Lincoln Wall Spray Club, which manages the wall in the Lincoln settlement. His artistic journey began at age six when his grandmother supported and encouraged him, providing art materials. "Instead of doing homework, I preferred to draw, and she let me get away with it," he recalls fondly. Today, his passion remains unchanged: "I just want to paint!"
