A Falcon Travels the World

Since 2018, a bird has been nesting in the DOBAS office. Measuring 5.3 by 2.3 metres, it regularly inspires our creativity. As part of our office expansion (read more about it here), the falcon moved one floor down and now graces the wall of our new meeting room.

This room has seen little action for nearly a year now, except for online meetings due to the pandemic. From there, not only do we travel the world via Zoom and similar platforms, but the falcon also silently accompanies us, appearing in home offices around the globe.

After countless journeys, we’d like to introduce the creators of the falcon: Vero and Marco Schmid, also known as QueenKong. This artist duo from Lucerne is particularly renowned for their large-scale murals, which they have painted in numerous countries.

Back to the beginning: How did you two meet?
Marco Schmid (MS): First, privately – we’ve been a couple since 2006. Then in 2009, we both quit our permanent jobs and embarked on a creative journey. What was supposed to be a year turned into two, and during our travels, we started painting together. The first QueenKong mural was created in Queens, New York: a woman with a monkey mask. Painting became an increasingly important part of our trip and even dictated our route. We travelled in a van from North to South America, painting around 50 murals over the two years. Our art often served as currency, and we essentially bartered with our work.
Vero Schmid (VS): Painting was also a great way to explore how we function as a creative couple – where we complement each other and where we might get in each other’s way. It also allowed us to connect with local communities, as people would approach us while we were painting. We both found that incredibly enriching.

Murals remain a key format after the journey.
VS: Large-scale projects are just so much fun! We love thinking big. But murals are only one of our passions – we also create smaller formats and experiment with materials and techniques. Currently, for example, we’re painting snow.
MS: Murals are very physical; you involve your entire body. You can fully immerse yourself in the work. It’s a wonderful experience!

What has been the most unusual QueenKong project so far?
MS: Many of our works are special in their own way. The first one that comes to mind is a project in Stansstad, where we used a new technique to integrate gold leaf into the façade of the Riedsunnae retirement complex. Another standout is the 50-metre-high mural we painted on a high-rise in Berlin-Tegel – our largest to date. It took us 15 full workdays, about 200 litres of paint, and countless spray cans. The left side of the mural was created by the artist Tankpetrol.
VS: Interesting! Different projects come to my mind. I think of the billboard in Guadalajara, Mexico, which we had the opportunity to paint. It hung 40 metres high for a month and was illuminated at night – truly a «Wow!» moment. Another memorable project was painting the main entrance of a football stadium in Pemba, Mozambique, as part of a collaboration with a Lucerne-based aid organisation. It seems football stadiums have a way of finding us – we’ve also painted ones in Sursee and St. Pauli, Hamburg.

How do you approach a project?
VS: For murals, whether in public spaces or interior settings like the DOBAS office, we always try to visit the site to feel its vibes and explore the surroundings.
MS: It’s not about replicating the environment but rather referencing it – through a colour, a shape, or the content of the piece.
VS: Being a duo allows us to generate more ideas together. We also draw on a variety of techniques for execution, whether it’s something graphic like the rainbow in Stansstad or more illustrative. The key is not to get lost in the possibilities.

How did the falcon for DOBAS come about?
MS: We were given «Carte Blanche» – completely free rein. Of course, we first met with Patrick Buchecker to learn more about DOBAS, what they do, and how they work. This helped us create a framework and a concept tied to the space, giving the artwork its justification.
VS: The falcon flies from one level to the next, just as DOBAS operates across cultures and countries.
MS: Across different worlds too!
VS: With the keen vision of a falcon, paying attention to detail. The falcon carries a keychain with a heart symbol, which is a recurring element in our work. In this piece, it represents our belief that passion takes you the farthest. Two other signature QueenKong elements are the mask and the knitting pattern.

What’s the story behind these two elements?
VS: The mask originates from Mexico, where we attended a lucha libre wrestling match during our creative journey – a fascinating spectacle!
MS: Each wrestler wears a unique mask. One legend, El Santo, never removed his mask, even in private, and was buried wearing it. He fought against corruption and for the underprivileged, becoming a celebrated folk hero.
VS: In our work, the mask symbolises fighting for light and positivity. The knitting pattern, on the other hand, comes from Marco’s family tradition of gifting knitted blankets to newborns, evoking feelings of care and protection.
MS: We consciously used the knitting pattern for the first time in Peru – with the llama in Lima.
VS: We also love painting animals and do so often.

What other symbols or narratives influence your art?
VS: We often focus on the positive. Our art doesn’t come with a moralising tone – it centres on beautiful moments and memories.
MS: Public murals are for everyone, and as artists, we move on afterward. Our work needs to honour that reality. We find it exciting to unearth the essence of a place and identify its most relevant themes.
VS: It’s always fascinating to learn what viewers see in a QueenKong piece and the emotional connections they make with its content. For instance, a distant acquaintance of Marco had our mural of the Himmelrich building in Lucerne tattooed on her arm. She associates a deeply personal story with the artwork. It’s essential to give people that space for their own interpretations.​​​​​​​

The mentioned mural no longer exists; the housing complex was demolished. The transience of a piece is often part of your work. How does this fact influence your art?

MS: Transience also has its advantages. Especially with murals that are only meant to exist for a certain period, you tend to approach them more boldly and freely.
VS: Usually, we know from the start if something will eventually be demolished. Of course, you still become attached to a piece. Whenever possible, we take a fragment of every destroyed mural with us. These pieces are something we plan to repurpose into new art someday. But that’s a story for another time!