AkzoNobel's Decorative Paints business will be helping to transform the German city of Cologne over the next three weeks as the main sponsor of the eye-catching CityLeaks Urban Art Festival.

One of the largest festivals of its kind in Europe, the company has supported CityLeaks since it launched in 2011. This year, more than 30 representatives of the visual, performing and applied arts will use Cologne's public spaces as stages that will be enriched with new artistic creations.

"We are delighted to be supporting CityLeaks once again because it's more than just an art festival," said Marco Sicconi, General Manager of AkzoNobel's Decorative Paints business in Germany. "The event also brings together various parts of the community who all make a big contribution to transforming their surroundings and making the city more colorful and liveable."

The festival runs from September 1 to 20 and AkzoNobel will supply the artists with paint products from brands including Dulux, while the company's color experts on public spaces will offer advice on selecting the right products and application techniques.

Ruud Joosten, AkzoNobel's Executive Committee member responsible for Decorative Paints, said the artists will play an important role in helping residents to connect with their surroundings. "Our CityLeaks partnership in Cologne is a perfect example of the important role color can play in transforming urban spaces and making cities more human," he commented. "With many cities around the world being challenged by increasing urbanization, we are ideally placed to help cities - and their citizens - build inspiring and creative environments. In Cologne in particular, there's a great opportunity to express the city's diversity. But we have the capability to support entire building projects in many different ways, and not just in terms of color."

As part of the festival's opening conference on August 29, Marco Sicconi will explain in detail how AkzoNobel's global Human Cities initiative is helping the company make a key contribution to the rapid urban development that's taking place.

Famous German blogger schönhässlich (http://schoenhaesslich.de) will also be documenting the events of the next three weeks by conducting interviews and exploring this year's main theme - The city that doesn't exist.

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