Street Art at its Finest Urban art interventions in all shapes and sizes

It would be an understatement to assert that street art, which emerges in all (in)conceivable sorts and sizes, is multifaceted. Indeed, painted surfaces of huge proportions are alternated with interventions on a human scale. Abundant use of colours and materials is side by side with aesthetic minimalism. Imaginative images are interspersed with realistic depictions while visual jokes are juxtaposed with serious messages.

The Urban Portrait Gallery Free admission for everyone

When street art emerged at the turn of the twenty-first century, it was revolutionary in the sense that it concerns art that is not intended to end up in a white cube – typically a place where an admission fee is charged, where you have to keep your distance to the works exhibited, where attendants keep an eye on you and where taking pictures may not be allowed. Instead, it is art meant for anyone to enjoy without restriction.

When a Bike is Stolen, a Fairy Dies And other messages on the streets that have escaped your attention

Streets are home not only to all sorts of signs and a great deal of advertising, they also function as a medium for yet another form of communication. One that defies the prevailing linguistic code of the city as it doesn’t urge us to abide by the law, or lures us into irrationally purchasing things we don’t need.

Adhesive Arty Ads Advertising packaged as sticker art

Forget about the predictable and tedious advertising posters at bus shelters and on billboards. Instead, scan less prominent places in public space and notice that it is there that much more beautiful, exciting and important things are advertised. Artists, illustrators, photographers, musicians, bloggers, activists, small clothing lines and others promote themselves through sticker art – the most common form of street art.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow The ephemeral nature of street art

Kunst in musea wordt zorgvuldig geconserveerd en zo nodig gerestaureerd om tot in lengte van dagen behouden te blijven. Street art daarentegen is – heel kenmerkend – in principe een eindig leven beschoren. Sommige street art valt jarenlang te bezichtigen0, denk met name aan muurschilderingen (hoewel die eigenlijk in een …

From Museum Gallery to Street Corner From Caravaggio to Dalí, from The Mona Lisa to The Scream

It’s hard to find a draughtsman, painter, sculptor or street artist who hasn’t followed the example of artists from earlier periods. More often than not, works of art have been (partly) inspired by other works of art, it’s safe to say. In all its diversity, street art has not only been influenced by many other art movements, but is itself also full of references to art.

The Street is Where the Heart is Hello streetheart!

The heart; in Christian symbolism it generally refers to Jesus, in some areas it’s being associated with intelligence and wisdom, while virtually everywhere in the world it’s also, if not primarily, known as the symbol of love. All over the globe, the heart is one of the most commonly used emblems. From a very young age, children are well-acquainted with the significance of the stylised outlines and the bright red colour.

Orchestrated Chaos and Superior Nonsense A closer look at street art collages

A delightful chaos composed of arbitrary pictures and words that even after repeated viewings allows you to spot new things. What can this be other than a collage? Throughout the centuries, collage-like application techniques appear at different moments and in different locations, but it was only after 1900 – in conjunction with the rise of modernism and courtesy of the pioneers George Braque and Pablo Picasso – that this art form made a real breakthrough.

I Spray For You Next time I go painting you are welcome to tag along!

As is evident from the numerous images of spray cans, marker pens and paint rollers that can be found on the streets, you cannot but conclude that graffiti and street artists are very keen to call attention to the material that enables them to display their artistic skills. Art about making art, or in other words; meta art.

Cartoon Figures and Action Heroes in Public Space Super Mario & Batman brawl over space on a wall

For many graffiti and street artists, a self-invented cartoonesque figure has become a trademark. KBTR and Oxalien are two glaring examples. In fact, they’re the names of both the silly figures as well as the artists themselves. The hot-tempered dwarf with his red pointed hat and the inflated bubble of pink chewing gum with horns and sharp teeth have, oftentimes together, spread across large parts of the Netherlands like a virus.

Handelsakkoorden kunnen Nederland niet liberaal genoeg zijn

Gewobde documenten laten zien hoe nonchalant en dogmatisch de Nederlandse overheid haar standpunten ten aanzien van het handelsakkoord TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) heeft bepaald. Van meet af aan was het doel om de nationale dienstensector zoveel mogelijk te liberaliseren, zonder raadpleging van experts uit verschillende geledingen van de samenleving …

TiSA: blauwdruk voor toekomstige handelsverdragen (1/5)

Al jarenlang wordt door tientallen landen onderhandeld over een vrijwel onbekend verdrag dat betrekking heeft op alle denkbare vormen van dienstverlening. Eindelijk een handelsakkoord waar iedereen van zal profiteren, of een pact dat de rode loper uitrolt voor nog meer neoliberalisme? Maak kennis met TiSA. Het is maart 2017 als …

De geheimzinnigheid rond TiSA (2/5)

De totstandkoming van vrijhandelsverdragen voltrekt zich grotendeels buiten het zicht van burgers. Bij het Trade in Services Agreement is dat niet anders. Hoe evenwichtig, democratisch en transparant zijn de onderhandelingen? Het is aan WikiLeaks te danken dat we veel meer over TiSA weten dan de deelnemende landen lief is. Surf …

Uruguay kwam, zag en trok zich terug uit TiSA (4/5)

In landen die behoren tot het mondiale Zuiden zijn nog lang niet zoveel onderdelen van de economie geliberaliseerd en geprivatiseerd als bij ons. Is de dienstensector van ‘zwakkere TiSA-broertjes’ een gemakkelijke prooi voor westerse multinationals? Dankzij een sterke campagne kregen vakbonden, ngo’s en burgerbewegingen in Uruguay hun regering zover het …

Het laatste TiSA-obstakel: vrijhandel versus bescherming persoonsgegevens (5/5)

Sinds de komst van Donald Trump liggen de TiSA-onderhandelingen stil. Als de gesprekken worden hervat, moet er over enkele zaken nog overeenstemming worden bereikt. Het grootste struikelblok? Ongebreidelde gegevensstromen over grenzen heen versus de privacy van honderden miljoenen burgers.  Het ongeloof was groot toen de wereld op 9 november 2016 …

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