Let's paint the town

When I first moved to Rotterdam I have to admit it wasn't love at first sight. Of course I appreciated the many obvious qualities Rotterdam had to offer as a big city ( for example a wide variety of shops and restaurants, which are even open on sundays!) But after I studied in the cosy little Leiden and payed many visits to Amsterdam with all its canals, tourists and coffeeshops, I didn't find Rotterdam very appealing.. at first!..
But like all relationships it took a little time to get to know the city, see its own unique character, and fall in love. And allthough I don't live in my city at the moment, I allways feel at home when I visit and Rotterdam shows me an insiders smile.

I know at first sight Rotterdam seems a whole of concrete buildings, pumped out of the ground in no time after the city got bommed and totally destructed during the war.
But the uglyness of the buildings did trigger the creativity of the people of Rotterdam.
I allways liked some of the touches of art, you find if you keep your eyes open on a night on the town. It gives (especially drunken) conversation an interessting topic. I am for example sure I'm not the only one who ever had a nightlong discussion with friends about the philosophical meaning of this interessting line from a poem of Lucebert, which lights up the sky around the 'oude haven.'

(It translates to: Everything of worth is defenceless)

Or this at least interessting painting on a building next to the very popular 'Witte aap'bar. I can't find any information on it, though it has caught my attention many times over the last couple of years. Not only because of the blacknippled lady but even weirder is the text, which says: 'Suddenly, as I'm about to kiss my nipple, I see hundreds of men staring at me'   (???) 

I think the creativity of Rotterdam has always been hiding underneath the surface, but I love how the last couple of years it seems to slowly transform the city into one big beautiful museum.
Not only are architects building weird colourfull buildings all around town, but also are older concrete buildings slowly transforming into fantastic pieces of art.

Yesterday, after I took the train into town and was greeted by several pieces of wall art, I walked through the city and smiled at the sight of this arty wall.

Because I recognize this and several other styles from other walls around town I wondered who was responsible for the new face of my colourfull city.
I found out this piece and many other beautiful artwork is all part of the R.U.A. festival.

The organisation brings talented Brazilian street artist to Rotterdam to litterally paint the town. Their view is:

"In a city where graffiti is seen as vandalism and local authorities do everyting to keep the streets clean of any colour, line or form freely expressed in public space, the challenge is to break these ideas and show people that graffiti is a form of contemporary art, a positive intervention of public space with its own place and function in everyday life."










I LOVE it :) so here are a few of my favourites and let's keep painting the town, so when I finally find a new appartment, I can be surrounded by beautiful art.