OTP’s Guide to Street Art: Amsterdam

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Like absinthe to Van Gogh, Amsterdam’s street art is funky, trippy and guaranteed to be a wild ride for your eyes.   Sure you could spend your time trapped in musty museums, but why not breathe in some of that bracing North Sea air and check out some of the bombings around town.  Follow OTP down to ol’ smokey town and learn about the street art of Amsterdam.

While painting on walls is caveman years old, Amsterdam’s street art materialized in the early 1970s.  Graffiti artists, also known as writers, are rooted within the European Punk movement, using graffiti as a way to express discontent with the troubling political and economic climate during that time.  Earlier artworks focused more on political activism and rebellious poetry while modern Amsterdam writers explore typography as a medium of expression. When you’re prepping for your trip, you can write your entire itinerary in the downloadable font appropriately named ‘Amsterdam Graffiti’.

Currently the Amsterdam municipal government has attempted to decriminalize graffiti by creating legal opportunities to paint in specially designated areas.  The government is also working to legitimize some of the more well-known artists by sponsoring or commissioning them, promoting their exhibitions, as well as purchasing some of their works for museums.

The Bill Shakespeare of graffiti, Niels began tagging as Shoe in 1979 and achieved legendary status by the time he was 18.  In the 80s, he formed an international graffiti crew, Crime Time Kings, with Bando from Paris and Mode2 from London.  He transitioned to legit graphic design in the 90s, running his own firm, but remained rooted in the street art scene and is still dropping shit to this day.  Shoe’s distinctive style is known as Calligraffiti, and he has recently released an eponymous book of his work.

If you have a velvet Andy Warhol print and an ironic lava lamp, you’ll love Ottograph, whose pop art influences can be seen all over Amsterdam.  Ottograph began tagging at the age of ten and his vibrant graffiti is rich in social commentary but not so cerebral you need to smoke a joint to understand it…although, it could enhance the experience.

Mickey developed as a writer by scribbling names on any available surface.  Her current street art has characteristic eyeballs and aliens embedded around the paintings, which, as she puts it, watch the world.  Her day job is teaching 2^nd grade future taggers.

Hugo Mulder, aka DHM, is like Spiderman – graphic designer by day, bomb dropper by night.  Covering stretches of the city, you’ll soon begin to recognize his black and white tattoo style which he’s been crafting the mid-80’s.

A crew of talented artists with diverse styles.  The collective includes notables such as Ives, one who emerged into the street art scene in the mid-90s combining stencil and freehand and is the creative director of Project Amsterdam Street Art.  Other members of X Streets are BUSTart, Zaira, Skatin Chinchilla, MLSS, Karma83 and Seifrei, merging their talents to create complex and diverse murals. Just think of this crew as the Justice League of street art.

Once you and your cloud of smoke stumble out of a coffee shop, you’ll no doubt notice some of Amsterdam’s taggings, regardless of where you are, as they’re prevalent around the city.

To mingle with the local artists and get a tag-a-long, head over to Henxs Henxs, a small shop near the Waterlooplein, who’s clientele wear masks to not inhale fumes and balaclavas to hide their faces from the police.  You can ask there how to contact bombers and where to find some of the hidden gems of Amsterdam.

 

Flevopark

Head east of the city to Flevopark where you can soak up the sun and visit some of the city’s vibrant bombs.  If you fancy trying your hand at writing your name, the walls under the freeway in the skate park near Flevopark are all legal.

If you want some more bang for your buck, you can find graffiti in the Red Light District. One noteworthy mural of the ladies is on Dollebegijnensteeg near the canal.  In a post-coital haze, venture over to Spuistraat where you can see a giant technicolor serpent coiled around an entire Dutch row house.  No matter how big you think she wants it, any woman would be intimidated by that 30 foot trouser snake.

Amsterdam’s street art emerged from powerful and provocative political discontent and evolved into gyrating typography across the city.  In a city of greats like Van Gogh and Rembrandt, street art is embraced as another form of fine art, just with a different medium and a more solid canvas.  Leave the tourists to the Museumplein and find yourself among the avant garde of today’s times under Amsterdam’s bridges.

 

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