Do you really want to go out for a walk? While you're at it, why not combine it with admiring street art in Rotterdam Centre. You will find a lot of street art around Witte de Withstraat, among others. But you will also notice a lot of colourful pieces in other places in the city centre.
A good way to combine a bit of exercise with a good dose of inspiration. So put on your hiking boots, grab your camera and head out the door!
Visit Witte de Withstraat and definitely hit the side streets. One of the side streets that you should visit is the Zwarte Paardenstraat. Here you will find not one, but two colourful murals.
On the wall of cocktail bar Spikizi shines the artwork El Trotamundos, created by Chilean street artist Jorge Kata Núnez. The depicted galloping horse wears a world map on his body and a peace dove on his face and represents freedom and global citizenship. El Trotamundos very appropriately means 'the World Traveller'.
Right opposite this mural you will find the work by the Rotterdam artist Anuli Croon (pictured below). In her work you see elements from Núnez's earlier work, such as the depicted two horses.
This meter-high work of art can be found on the Kromme Elleboog, around the corner from the Witte de Withstraat. It was created by Brazilian street art artist Ramon Martins during the R.U.A. (Reflexo on Urban Art) festival in 2009.
Because of the bright colours you would think that this striking work of art has not escaped the attention of many people, but since the work is hidden behind a corner, there are even enough Rotterdammers who have never seen the work.
Be sure to walk around the Witte de Withstraat to discover even more pieces for yourself and then leave this bustling street towards a hidden mural on the Boomgaardhof.
Illustrators Joren Joshua and Ilse Weisfelt created this jazzy diptych on the initiative of Rewriters010. It is a surprising mural, because it looks different from various angles.
The subject of the mural has a direct link with the old jazz club Mephisto, which was located near this location in the 1930s. The artwork is sure to bring a smile to your face!
The residents of the Calypso found the concrete wall opposite their building a bit bare and dull. Reason enough to ask help from Mothership! Mothership, in turn, brought in artists Monique Benthin and Rick Messemaker and they came up with the idea of decorating the wall with a life-size photograph of a famous Icelandic waterfall: Seljalandsfoss.
A piece of "nature" in Rotterdam. Stand on one of the stones and imagine yourself in peaceful Iceland!
If you walk through Rotterdam you are bound to come across an interactive work of art by Rotterdam Make it Happen. These art works all invite to be part of the work, so there is always a fun interactive element.
Many people often pass this mural around the corner of the Kruiskade unsuspectingly. While it is really worth a visit! The cheerful work of art, meters high, was created by Canadian artist Ian Kirkpatrick. It's a 'video game console' made with different buttons, so you can show how you feel.
He has also incorporated various Rotterdam icons in the mural. How many do you count?
Another colourful and interactive Rotterdam Make it Happen artwork!
The artwork below can be found on the Delftsestraat and was created by the American illustrator Calvin Sprague. You can get on your bike and become part of the artwork. Great for a fun photo! And what could be more Dutch/Rotterdam-like than a bit of cycling?
Walk a minute further and you will come to the Delftsehof. Here you will find a huge black and white mural. It's called Give me light, Picasso and it was created by Brazilian artist Spetö during the R.U.A. festival in 2009.
This work decorates the facade of Ayla, located on Kruisplein. Inspired by artists such as Hartung, Vasarely and Mucha, the French artist Astro creates his own world by playing with shadows, light and the use of colour and depth. Together with street art artist Kanos, he is the creator of CelloGraff. A form of street art in which the canvas is not the wall, but a canvas of cellophane wrapping material stretched between two poles.
The mural was made during the Rotterdam Street Art Museum in 2018. You can read more about it below the photo!
What is the Rotterdam Street Art Museum? At the initiative of the Rotterdam alliance West-Kruiskade and Bureau Binnenstad, West-Kruiskade was renamed the Rotterdam Street Art Museum in 2017, with international artists contributing various works of art. This made it the world's first open-air street art museum.
Rotterdam Street Art Museum runs from Kruisplein across West-Kruiskade to Tiendplein. Here you will discover works by, among others, the Amsterdam artist Judith de Leeuw, the Brazilian artist Alex Hornest, and the Rotterdam artist Anne-Mercedes Langhorst.
Do you want to follow a street art route made by real street art connoisseurs? Then take a look at the Rewriters App. With this App you follow an interesting route complete with background information about the artwork and the artist(s).
Once you have downloaded the route, it is possible to use the app without an internet connection. Rewriters010 continuously update the app, so you always stay informed of the latest street art!